Kyoto city workers wear kimono on first work day

About 200 city employees of the ancient Japanese capital of Kyoto wore kimono to work on Monday, the first working day of the New Year.

The idea was to help promote the city's kimono industry, which has been hit hard by the recession.

The city office says yuzen-dyed fabrics produced in Kyoto during the 2008 business year amounted to only 3.7 percent of output in 1971, when the industry was at its peak. Many kimono businesses are suffering in the severe economic downturn.

The municipal office plans to exhibit locally produced kimono at a fashion show for young people in Tokyo in March to encourage more people to wear the traditional Japanese clothing.