The imperial household was also quick to embrace change -- swapping multilayered kimonos for full length Western gowns and morning suits as official court wear.

"It was partly out of sheer surprise at Western styles. But it was also a visible means of expressing the change in administration, which is something that also happened in the French and Chinese revolutions," Koga added.

The restoration of power to the monarchy from the generals who had held the upper hand for centuries coincided with the opening up of Japan.

Upper class women sometimes favored dresses, but the working classes kept mostly to kimono well into the 1930s, Koga said. Nowadays kimono are mostly worn for special occasions, such as weddings.