Now that you bought your first yukata on eBay (or seriously thinking about buying one), let's figure out how to put it on so you can enjoy it!  Yukata is the simplest type of kimono one can wear.  Most people can learn to put on a yukata all by herself. : )  If you ever wanted to try a yukata whether for lounging at home, parties, summer festivals, Halloween or cosplay, this guide will help you step by step to show how this versatile clothing can be enjoyed by people around the world.

Here's a list of things you'll need:

1) your yukata, 2) two pieces of himo (tie), 3) yukata obi such as hanhaba obi (most commonly made of 2-sided thickly woven polyester, but other materials are also available), tsukuri obi or musubi obi ("pre-tied" obi, much easier to put on), or heko obi (Until fairly recently, heko obi, made of thin silk or polyester with "shibori" designs, has been used mostly by children, but teenagers and younger women can wear them these days for more contemporary look.  You simply tie it in a bow in the back.) and 4) optional items such as hadajuban (underlayer kimono of thin material), towel (used to "pad" the waistline to make the body line more columnar), obi ita (waist panel to help keep obi from wrinkling) and additional himo (tie) to secure the towel in place if/when necessary.

And of course, for the complete look, you would also like to have:

1) a pair of geta (sandals, usually made from Paulownia tree -- extremely light yet durable wood), 2) optional kinchaku (fabric pouch with drawstrings) or a kago (a bag/purse made of bamboo and fabric), 3) optional hair accessories/ornaments of your choice, and 4) optional uchiwa (paper fan with a bamboo, wood or plastic handle) or sensu (a folding fan, usually made of fabric and wood).

The following instruction starts off from after putting on the optional hadajuban (the underlayer) and/or towel around the waist for "padding".  The towel is used to pad the waist to make the body line more straight and columnar.  If you are built with an hour-glass figure, you would have to pad the waist in order to look good in kimono/yukata in general.  Normally, bra is not worn under kimono, but if you are well-endowed and require support for comfort, a sports bra that "flattens" the breasts to the body works well for yukata.  Again, hadajuban (or a kimono/yukata slip) is an optional item and not a necessity by any rule.  However, if you're putting on a light weight (thin material), light colored or semi-sheer yukata, it might be wise to have this extra layer of "coverage" so your underwear does not show through.  (A fashion faux pas in any culture.)

How to wear a yukata (for women)

1. Hold the garment open and raise it to make the hemline come to about the height of your ankles.  Make sure the center back seam of the yukata aligns with your spine.
2. Bring the right-hand side in, and wrap the left side over it.  The yukata should gather at your waist. *Important note: NO Japanese would wear any kimono/yukata with the right side over the left EVER.  Left flap is ALWAYS on top.  This is a rule. (Japanese custom has it that only the dead are dressed with the right side over the left.)
3. Tie the yukata shut tightly with the himo (tie) just above your hip bone and fold the extra material (called "ohashori") down over the tie to hide it.  *This is how the length is adjusted for all kimono/yukata, making one size fit a broad range of height.
4. Smooth the wrinkles out on the upper front, making the ohashori look neat.  Don't forget to smooth out the wrinkles in the back at this point.  Tip: Pull the right flap down and across by putting your hand through the hole found under the left armpit to adjust.  (A clever built-in feature of kimono/yukata.)
5. Tie the yukata in place with the second himo just under your chest.
6. Place and secure the obi ita (waist panel) over the second tie so that the wide and flat part of the obi ita is covering the front.  *Obi ita is a very handy accessory to have, but you can omit it especially if your body has a fairly straight waistline.

Now you're ready for the obi.

There are many different ways to tie an obi.  The following is the most popular "Butterfly Tie" that results in a lovely bow in the back.  It is a popular style among younger women.

How to tie an obi (again, for women)  * Please refer to the photos below for visual reference.

1. Hold the obi out to about the length of your right arm (about 50 cm /20 inches from one end), fold it in half, lengthwise, with open side facing downward, and then lay it over your right shoulder.  This end is called  "tesaki" or "te".
2. Wrap the obi around your waist twice.
3. Fold the other end (called "tare") in half, lengthwise (opening is facing upward) so that it can be tied more easily.
4. Wrap the tesaki around the tare to make a knot.  Open the tare so that it is back to the original width.  Take the opened tare and fold it into triple thickness, lengthwise.  The end of the obi is hidden in the "middle" layer of the tri-fold.  This is the base for your "bow".
5. Pinch the center of the tri-fold part to make a bow shape.  To make this pinch neatly, first make a "valley" in the middle, then make 2 "peaks" on both sides of the "valley" for the best look.
6. Pull the tesaki over the center pinch of the bow.
7. Wind it twice around the middle, pulling it up tightly.  Now you can see the finished "bow".
8. Roll up the remaining extra material of the tesaki tightly.
9. Insert the rolled material under the knot so that it is hidden under the layer of obi.  Place the end under the knot in such a way that it can keep the "bow" upright.
10. Adjust the bow to look neat and have a nice balance with no wrinkles by gently pulling and tugging.  Most commonly available 2-sided woven polyester obi has a wonderful thickness that is very "workable", compared to the thinner (and less expensive) double layer cotton fabric obi.
11. Grasp the bow's knot with your right hand, and with your left hand, reach behind you and hold the lower edge of obi firmly.   Rotate it clockwise until the bow comes to the center of your back.  *Note: If you are using an obi ita, make sure the flat panel of obi ita stays in the front of your body when you rotate the obi.  Tip: If you need to ride in a car to get somewhere after you put on a yukata, you might want to keep the bow in the front while you ride so as not to disturb the shape of the bow.  Do step 11 once you're out of the car.  It is always a good idea to have someone else check to make sure your bow is centered on the back.

Caution: Do not consider wearing the bow in the front as a fashion statement of your own (As some of you may have seen in anime shows, most notably in "Samurai Champloo", where one of the main characters wears her bow in the front.).  The reason is that, historically speaking, an obi tied in the front signifies the "lady of the night" profession, where the obi was tied in such a manner as to make removing it easier for the "patron".

Handy tips

1. Yukata/kimono sleeves can double as a rudimentary "purse".  If you only need a place for your sunglasses or car keys, for example (assuming that you don't have too many bling-blings to weigh them down), you can simply put them in the long flowing sleeves and they'll stay.
2. You won't need tabi (socks with a cleavage between big toe and the rest of the toes) with your yukata.  I have seen eBay merchants adding a pair of tabi socks in a set of yukata-obi-geta collection.  Yukata is a summer-time kimono and geta sandals feel great and look best on bare feet.
3. Geta (wooden sandals) can be worn too small where your heels protrude past the sandals by a centimeter or two.  This is perfectly acceptable.
4. There are such things as "pre-tied obi" that are widely available on the market including eBay.  This type of obi is generally a little more expensive, but it does simplify things tremendously, especially for people who are new to yukata.  They basically come in 2 parts: length of obi with ties and the pre-tied bow part with covered wire insert and ties.  All you have to do is to first wrap the length of obi around your waist and secure it in place with the attached ties, and then place the pre-tied bow in the back, secure it in place with the self tie and tuck the strings neatly hidden under the obi.

I sincerely hope that this guide is helpful for those who are new to yukata.  If you find any helpful information on this guide, please take a moment to vote "yes" at the end of the article where they ask the question, "Was this guide helpful?"  It only takes a single click and you don't have to do anything more.  I'd appreciate your vote very much.  I also hope that this guide helps demystify the process of putting on a yukata so that people who were interested but never tried on a yukata can feel confident to try it for the first time.  Please don't give up if your yukata doesn't look picture perfect on your first try.  Like many things in life, this is one of those circumstances where "practice makes perfect."  And once you master the butterfly tie, check out my other eBay guide titled "Yukata Obi : Simple Variations on the Butterfly Obi/Tie" for many easy ways to add fun contemporary look to your obi.

If you need more photographs of the process (eBay only allows for 10 photos per guide, sorry.), there are many wonderful guides found on the Internet.  Just type in the search words such as "how to put on (wear) a yukata" or "how to tie an obi". 

Good luck and happy summer!