This year's four "Kyoto Miss Kimono", who spread the appeal of Japanese clothing culture, visited the Kyoto Shimbun newspaper office in Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto City, and spoke about their aspirations while wearing gorgeous furisode kimonos.
Miss Kimono has been organized since 2011 by a committee made up of the Kyoto Textile Wholesalers Association and others. This time, about 80 people applied, and the four were selected after undergoing training in subjects such as the history of Kyoto, Kyo-Yuzen and Nishijin-ori techniques, and manners in Japanese clothing. They were also evaluated for their ability to talk about Kyoto and kimono in their own words.
Okuda Eri (21 years old) said, "I want to promote kimono to the many overseas visitors who visit Kyoto," while Tanaka Miyu (21 years old) said, "I want to convey the goodness of kimono being made through the connections of many people." Kawakami Natsuki (21 years old) said, "I want to increase my knowledge and actively share it on social media," while Nakagawa Chihori (25 years old) said, "I hope I can encourage young people to have more opportunities to wear kimonos that have been lying around at home."
