for hundreds of years the japanese people have worn the kimono (kimounou). the kimono is a long loose robe of cotton or silk tied around the waist with a sash. though the kimono is still worn in the evening and on special occasions, it is expensive and not very useful. so city people usually wear clothes something like those you wear. school-girls wear navy blue skirts and white blouses, while school-boys must dress navy suits. the shoes the japanese wear with western style clothes are very similar to what we wear. with the kimono, however, wooden sandals on two-inch blocks are often worn.