Kimono Rental in Tokyo: Is it Cultural Appropriation?

I went to Japan in March and after posting my photos in this beautiful kimono in Tokyo, lots of you don't seem to know that you can rent a kimono in Japan! There are plenty of kimono rentals in Japan, especially in Tokyo and Kyoto as they attract more culture-seekers and tourists. I visited 浅草着物レンタル華雅 or Asakusa Hanaka, located in Asakusa.  Asakusa (浅草) is in the center of Tokyo's shitamachi (which means low city), in one of Tokyo's districts, where you could still feel an atmosphere of Tokyo's past decades.
Asakusa's main attraction is Sensoji, built in the 7th century, it is now a very popular Buddhist temple. The temple is approached via the Nakamise, a shopping street that provides temple visitors with a variety of traditional, local snacks and tourist souvenirs for centuries. Getting to Asakusa Hanaka was easy it only takes 30 seconds to Asakusa Station or 2 minutes to the Kaminarimon and the Sensouji Temple on foot. They are just in front of Tokyo Sky Tree and near by the Sumida River. For 3,800 yen you can rent a kimono of your choice, 長襦袢 undergarment, 肌着 underwear, 帯 belt, 帯板 belt board, 半襟 Half-collar, 足袋 socks 巾着バック a matching bags and 草履または下駄 shoes. I also had my hair fixed for an extra 1,000 yen and I've chosen to wear this beautiful kimono with sakura patterns since it was March and cherry blossoms were everywhere, it was the perfect outfit to wear when me and my boyfriend planned to visit Ueno park after renting the kimono. My boyfriend also got a similar basic kimono set for the same price, of course men have less to worry about! By the way, if you are visiting during summer, then a Yukata is a better choice for you. It is suitable for the hot, summery weather since a casual summer kimono is usually made of cotton or synthetic fabric, and unlined. They are strictly informal, most often worn to outdoor festivals, by men and women of all ages.However, this may also be a touchy subject, to cultural appropriation. Japan is mostly homogeneous and they are very proud of their culture, although it does seem like the western media is pushing Japanese culture into popular culture, some might argue it often comes down to fetishisation. Like the recent issue in 2015, The Boston Museum of Fine Arts, they had to cancel an event they had called “Kimono Wednesdays,” when they were displaying Claude Monet’s “La Japonaise” (1876). Visitor get to try on a kimono similar to the one depicted in the painting, many were told that it was “orientalism,” “racism” and “cultural appropriation” which they claimed was victimizing Asian-Americans. In my experience, the Japanese are actually thrilled to have foreigners engaging with their own culture since most young Japanese women aren't interested in making kimono a hobby or wearing it less, so if kimono are popular with foreigners, they are happy to see that the art of kimonos are popular amongst the younger generation all over the world.  An employee at the Nishijin Textiles Center in Kyoto mentioned: “Anyone can appropriate and creatively modify kimono styles whenever and however they like.”On a youtube, the video "Can Foreigners Wear Kimono? (Japanese Opinion Interview)", Yuta asked some Japanese people about Katy Perry's kimono performance and asked what they think. He explained them some of the criticisms that Katy Perry got (for example. culture appropriation) and asked them if they think it's OK for foreigners to wear Japanese kimono. The response from the Japanese people was very positive and never even thought that it was even slightly offensive in any way. 
Yuta mentioned, "Kimono doesn't really have any strong cultural/religion significance. It's just a name for old clothes we used to wear. You don't have to be a specific ethnicity to wear kimono, just like T-shirts and jeans. It would have been a different question if it was something sacred, though." The Japanese are so proud of their country and culture. We could see they are really positive about a lot of things about their country and they get really happy when someone is interested in their culture.If you’re wondering, cultural appropriation doesn't mean wearing something from another country/culture. It's the appropriation of something religiously significant and using it as a personal statement, or, when it's a concern when the culture has actually been oppressed and/or colonized. So go ahead and put on that kimono and embrace Japan’s rich history.To find out more about Asakusa Hanaka:http://asakusa-hanaka.com/Mail: info@asakusa-hanaka.com  Phone: 03-6231-6782