ABOUT

How the club was born

 In August,1999,during the annual Nisei Week parade in downtown Los Angeles,, Hayahiko Takase , then President of Japanese Chamber Commerce, rode in an open car while clad in traditional formal Japanese men’s wear (montsuki haori hakama) . Akira Tsurukame saw him and thought it might be an excellent idea to spread the spirit of Japanese Culture among people in foreign countries through Kimonos, which express dignity, simplicity and serene beauty. Thus, they decided to form a club "KIMONO O KIYOU KAI ("Club to Encourage the Wearing of Kimono")

On New Year's Day in 2000, five gentlemen wearing Kimono gathered in front of the sculpture by the famous artist , Isamu Noguchi, in JACCC Plaza in Little Tokyo.

On March 15, 2003, approximately 40 men & women who love Kimono met to form a club with the agreed objective of promoting mutual understanding and cultural exchanges between the US and Japan through Kimono. They officially formed the club now called "LA KIMONO CLUB".