Regarding wearing yukata

What do guest normally wear under the yukata, whether you are in the ryokan or on the streets.

Also when wearing yukata, are they the same whether you wear them outside on the streets or inside the ryokan, are some made for out doors only.

When staying at a ryokan I (a male) usually just wear underwear (and sometimes an undershirt in the colder months) both inside and outside the ryokan. The yukata you wear outside is the sameone you wear inside, but there is usually a special overcoat provided for you to wear over it too.

If you are wearing yukata within the ryokan or at home, just wearing your underwear would be fine. That's just lounging wear.

For going out, for festivals or fireworks, into town, you would want to wear some camisole/petticoat kind of thing so that you will be "properly" dressed, nothing see-through. Oh, assuming you are a woman.

http://www.japan-guide.com/forum/quereadisplay.html?0+80089

By underwear, we females mean panties. Normally, females don't wear (at least not Western style) bras under yukata or any kind of Japanese kimono.

And properly, females are supposed to wear a koshimaki (in which you wrap around your bottom) and a hada-juban (in which you wear on your top) even when wearing yukata. In this case, traditionally you don't even wear panties (I don't), but most modern women seem to feel comfortable wearing panties at all times.

Thanks to all for the reply, I'm a male and i'm going to visit kusatsu and will be walking from the ryokan to some bath house, so a pair of inline shorts should be ok without a top.

I will be wearing a yukata to some of the bath house in kusatsu, something really puzzles me, normally a yukata does not have pockets if i'm to carry money, mobile phone, or towel, how do we to carry them, it doesn't look right wearing a backpack whiles wearing a yukata, also about security issues, if i'm to go to a free bath house, i'm sure they don't provide lockers, where do one's keep all there belongings.

Traditionally, you either put your little belongings in your tamoto (inside your sleave) or your futokoro (in front of your chest, between the two sides of the collar. But it's not that unusual for modern men to carry a small men's porch when wearing a yukata.

As for security, I think almost all bath facilities nowadays are equipped with a tiny locker that comes with a key. Often, the coin is returnable, in other words, you'd put in a 100 yen coin, lock it, and when you unlock it the coin comes out again. There usually is a band attached to the key so you can wear it while bathing.

Yukata at onsen ryokan don't usually have a pocket, but the overcoat's sleeves can usually be used as a pocket. The problem is during summer when it may be too hot for wearing the overcoat. During such times there is no alternative to holding your belongings in your hand or bringing a small bag. Many ryokan provide a small plastic bag meant for bringing to the bath that you could "abuse" on your walk through the town.

Don't wear shoes with yukata. It'd look dorky. Wear "geta", a pair of Japanese wooden clog provided by the ryokan. If you feet are larger/longer than a normal Japanese, you may have a problem finding a pair that fits you.

Many of the ryokan give you a small drawstring bag to carry your small towel and other misc stuff in. You can use this to hold your wallet, phone, etc. and tie it to your obi while you walk around town.

Also, the free bathhouses in Kusatsu (at least the ones I've visited) have cubby holes where you place your stuff while you bathe. It a tiny room so you can easily keep an eye on your stuff while you are in the bath.

Thanks to all for the reply, can I put a phone in a waterproof pouch and carry it in the pool area, or is this not allowed, I don't really need to carry all the money with me, just a 1500-12000 yen for food of if needed or the cost for using the onsen facilities. I can always put it in a safe if the ryokan does provide them.

I was just reading "Heart of a Samurai" which is a novel about John Manjiro, and it says that one of the first culture shocks that Manjiro encountered being the first Japanese to go to the U.S. was the pocket. I guess this thread is the reverse version of that.