One of the best ways to experience Japanese culture is to enjoy their traditional costume, called the Kimono. Actually, I think Kimono is a must try in Japan!
The most famous place to experience Kimono is Kyoto. However, you can also find a lot of Kimono shops in Tokyo, most of which are in Asakusa. This area is full of traditional scenery. Not only can you wear Japanese traditional costume, but you can also take lots of Japanese style pictures.
As I was saying, there are so many Kimono shops in Asaskusa. Which one suits me? Beside the price, what did I need to think about? I considered I was travelling alone, so I hoped the Kimono shop also provided an outdoor photo shoot service. What’s more, I needed professional make-up. Finally, I decided to book Sakura Photo Studio. Their price is reasonable. They offer a make-up service and outdoor photo shoot as well. They can speak a lot of languages, including English, Chinese and Korean.
Website: https://www.sakuraphotokimono.com/
Address: Suzuki Bld 4F 1-12-12 Kaminarimon Taito-ku, Tokyo
TEL: 070-5365-1551, 070-5011-2785
Email: sakuraphotokimono@gmail.com
Business hours: 09：30 AM～5:00 PM
How to book:
Step 1: Go to Sakura Photo Studio’s English website.
https://www.sakuraphotokimono.com/english/
Step 2: Decide which plan you prefer.
They offer 4 plans: simple, basic, luxury A and luxury B. Except for luxury B, you must return the Kimono by 5 pm.
Tip:
- The names of plans are about the kinds of Kimono. The simple one is for summer, basic one is for usual and luxury ones (including A and B) are for adult ceremonies or weddings. I recommend choosing basic one.
- You can go to their website menu (as below) to check the prices and pictures.
https://asakusakimono.jimdo.com/
Step 3: Consider whether you need other services.
They also offer optional services as below:
- Outdoor photo service
- Studio photo service
- Make-up service
You can also go to their website to check the prices.
Step 4: Book
Go to their reservation website https://www.sakuraphotokimono.com/予約ページ-reservation-form/ to book your Kimono experience.
They will email you to make sure details.
Step 5: Payment
You need to pay online. After making the payment, you will receive the confirmation.
How to experience Kimono:
Step 1: Go to Sakura Photo Studio.
They will send you the map with the confirmation email.
Tip:
- I suggest going there earlier since Japanese are extremely punctual.
- Don’t eat too much because the Kimono is really tight!
Step 2: They give you a bag for putting your clothes and things inside it.
Tip: Remember to take a picture of the bag, especially the number.
Step 3: Choose your Kimono.
Tip: After you finish choosing your Kimono, it’s better for you to go to the toilet first!
Step 4: They help you to put on underwear and socks.
Step 5: They make you up. (optional)
Step 6: They put on the Kimono for you.
Step 7: You have your hair set.
You must choose a flower to put on your hair. They offer all kinds of flowers. You can choose them for free. However, they also better-quality ones and you can pay 500 yen to rent them.
Almost finished:
Step 8: Choose your handbag.
I chose a big one! I put my purse, smartphone, camera, selfie stick and a bottle of water inside.
Step 9: Choose your shoes.
My feet are very small, all of them did not fit me. Thankfully, they have some for big girls and they could fit my feet.
No sooner did I put on the shoes than the photographer stood in front of the lift to wait for me. And then I started my outdoor photo shoot.
The duration of putting on Kimono and make-up was about 1.5 hours.
Outdoor photo shoot:
As I was saying, I travelled alone, so I also booked outdoor photo shoot.
It’s sakura blossom season – a good season for taking pictures.
The photographer can speak English very well. He took me to stunning attractions to take pictures. Not only did he take the pictures for me, but he also told me a lot about Japan’s culture and history.
The duration of outdoor photo shoot was about 1 hours.
Receive the pictures:
Five days later, I received the pictures of me. They uploaded the picture on their cloud and you can download them. I got about 180 pictures. I really like them. Just put some of them here:
留言列表
國外旅遊 (13)
