Is it okay to wear yukata in April?

Hi. I'm going to kamakura this 23rd and I can't find any kimono rental shop for my group(12 people). So,I wonder if it's okay to wear yukata and stroll around the town.(yukata is cheaper and it's easy to find one) I think the temperature will be 17-24 celcius.
Thank you.

i was in many onsen towns recently near matsue (which should be much colder than your place) and most people wore yukatas even in cold (at least to me) nights.

actually i was surprised, that japanese were not freezing, since they even did not wear socks while it was cold to me even in a coat. so at least from point of social acceptance you should be ok. :-)

It makes a difference whether it's a hot spring town or not - people in hot spring towns might stroll around after taking a soak in a bath... then your body is comfortably warm that it is no problem.

But please note that "yukata" is a home lounging wear and basically summer wear... you would probably find it too breezy. And as Kamakura is not a hot spring town, it might come across as a somewhat strange sight.

OP, what is the purpose of your strolling around? As suggested, Japanese traditional fashion requires a lot of seasonal rules, and yukata should be worn only during June to September, unless it's worn as room wear.

Yukata for the Japanese is basically the same thing as pajamas and robes for the Europeans. They're room wear that you might wear when you go to bed. But during summer, it can be considered more like a sundress, if worn with a proper obi.

In onsen resorts, people might wear the yukata that are provided at their ryokan, and they would wear them with the simple strap and perhaps an overwear similarly provided. But that's only for a short stroll for cooling down after a bath or for light excersize after a meal. It's similar to wrapping a cloth over your swimming suit at a beach resort, only to get back to a warm place as soon as you feel cold.

But a bunch of people visiting museums and shopping streets of Kamakura in yukata in April is like a bunch of people walking down Fifth Avenue in their bikinis. Fashion is free, but it does look odd.

And back to my question, why do you want to wear a kimono or a yukata in the first place? If you are aiming to blend in the "old capital" feel of stylish Kamakura, yukata in April is not what you're looking for.

Perhaps others are not aware, but kimono and yukata sightseeing is incredibly en vogue in Kyoto and seems to be spreading to other popular tourist spots as well. Both kimono and yukata are available in Kamakura, and the shop should rent you the seasonally appropriate wear (although I did see many yukata wearers in Kyoto this past month that wear probably freezing in the cold weather). Here's one:

http://qk-kamakura.com/participate/iza-kimono-rental-shop/ (English article)
http://izaiza.jp/kimono/index.html (Japanese store website)

I did see many yukata wearers in Kyoto this past month that wear probably freezing in the cold weather

I am definitely getting old...

This comment will surely be deleted as contemptuous. But, as a Japanese local of old generation, I can�ft stop saying something that should probably be better left unsaid. But I declare that this sentiment is general among us, these years. If you want to call me narrow-minded, I will let you say so.

I hate to see, in Kyoto or Kamakura or anywhere else, those ill-mannered foreign tourists (ladies in main) wearing cheap, vulgar, colorful yukata or yukata-like kimono or kimono-like yukata which are inappropriately called kimono in general and strolling in the streets or in the temples and shrines which have changed into theme parks for them. More ridiculous is that other foreign tourists take shots of those foreign costume players in kimono-like costume, considering them as Japanese locals. Rental shop owners are to blame (they are not necessarily Japanese). Their unprincipled mercantilism is really disgusting. Tourism is certainly an honest way of earing money, but too much ugly tourism in Japan today makes me keep away from my precious places. On the contrary, it is pleasant to see foreign tourists visiting our cultural heritages with respects, properly dressed or less uglily dressed, and in natural way. Tourists also are observed by locals, sometimes with pretended indifference, sometimes with contempt and sometimes with satisfaction.

I am definitely getting old...

Haha, I don't think its that as the trend among tourists is relatively new. But you're right that the yukata can look out of place to the knowledgeable, especially during cooler weather (during which time the Japanese travelers usually have a shawl or kimono coat on, while the tourists tend to look underdressed). I feel that the problem probably lies more with the rental shops though, as they aren't effectively promoting the proper, seasonally appropriate wear to their customers.

I hate to see, in Kyoto or Kamakura or anywhere else, those ill-mannered foreign tourists (ladies in main) wearing cheap, vulgar, colorful yukata or yukata-like kimono or kimono-like yukata which are inappropriately called kimono in general and strolling in the streets or in the temples and shrines which have changed into theme parks for them.

Your comment is indeed over the top, but I do feel that it has been getting a little... crowded these days. Keep in mind that it was the Kyoto City Government that kickstarted the trend as they have been aggressively pushing kimono/yukata tourism for many years now. I think the bigger issue is as Uco pointed out with people dressed inappropriately for the season.

Personally, I think it can be quite nice, but if you don't like it then take solace that it's a fad at its peak now that will probably start to fade soon.

Just to add to the other Japanese old-timer, I personally wouldn't mind if that's what's going on in Harajuku or Shibuya. In fact, I would even be happy that they're doing something new again.

But I sympathise to the old-timer, because I've been watching what's going on in China Town which is located in the city I live.

Yokohama China Town, indeed, has become Disneyland-ey. And it's a pity, because the wonders that China Town always had is fading because of that. It would be okay, if a town elsewhere is taking place of what China Town once was, but I don't really see an alternative of the old China Town or the old Kyoto or the old Kamakura.

What I'm saying is that it's sad that the increasing tourists don't get the chance to see what really used to be worth touring for, and I'm talking about both foreign and local tourists.