Hello chewys! This will be our last post documenting our Japan trip and we have saved the best for last! Apart from our visit to Shirakawa-go which we had blogged about previously, another highlight of our holiday would be..
The Chewy’s very first kimono wearing experience and outdoor photoshoot in Kyoto!
Kyoto is the best place in Japan to explore traditional temples, shrines, gardens, as well as for tourists to immerse themselves in Kyoto’s rich culture. Over the years, it has become very common and increasingly popular for tourists visiting Kyoto to go sightseeing in a kimono.
There are so many kimono rental shops in Kyoto so it’s highly advisable that you do sufficient research before your trip to ensure that everything goes according to your plan!
I was initially overwhelmed by the various recommendations provided online and began to shortlist based on two factors: 1) Price and 2) Provision of photoshoot services.
Yumeyakata was the best choice because it offers one of the lowest kimono rental rates at only ¥3500/person (~S$44) upon reservation. Please note that all prices mentioned from here on excludes 8% tax. Female and male couple kimono rental rates are quoted at ¥6500 – ¥7000 (~S$81.50 – ~S$88) and I reckon it’s a really good deal considering you get to wear the kimono the entire day, as long as you return to Yumeyakata by 19:30! If you wish to make a reservation, you may fill in an online form via Yumeyakata’s website or email info@yumeyakata to have your enquiries answered. Sisca was our main contact person and she was very prompt in all email communications, at times going out of the way to make sure our needs were met!
Apart from the really affordable price, Yumeyakata is one of the few kimono rental companies in Kyoto to offer both indoor and outdoor photoshoot services, which Yumeyakata terms as “Location Photo Plan“. Photoshoots are carried out by a team of professional photographers, some of whom can converse in Mandarin and English! Their profiles and photography works can be found on Yumeyakata’s website and you can even designate your desired photographer at an additional ¥2000 (~S$25).
Depending on the location(s) chosen, the photography package price starts from ¥22000 (~S$276) and you get to receive over 200 beautifully captured photos from a 2-hour photoshoot! Yumeyakata also offers a “One-Day Location Photo Plan” where you can hire their photographer for an entire day! This is definitely a good choice if you are touring Kyoto with a group of friends!
A photoshoot usually starts at 10:30 or 14:30 and since it takes about 1.5 hours to get ready, we chose to have our photoshoot in the afternoon to avoid being late as we had to travel from Osaka. As we had a bit of time upon reaching Kyoto, we visited Kiyomizudera and subsequently took a train and alighted at Gojo station. From Exit 1, we only had to walk straight for a couple of minutes before reaching Yumeyakata’s store!
Not surprisingly, the place was packed; a good sign that business was brisk. I had to fill in a form indicating our heights, along with some other information and we were handed recyclable bags to store our shoes and clothes. We were first ushered to one of the floors to pick our kimono, which is estimated to take about 30 minutes. I almost hyperventilated at the vast array of kimonos available! One tip would be to first browse through some of Yumeyakata’s kimonos collection online to get a rough idea about your preferences. I knew I wanted large bold prints against bright colors like pink. Knowing what you want right from the start makes the picking process a lot easier! For ladies, we also had to pick an obi and sash, and you are advised to choose contrasting colors to make your outfit stand out.
Due to privacy reasons, there are different levels that cater to female and male customers exclusively. Also, photography is strictly prohibited when getting dressed as there are other customers around. A professional dresser helped Little misschewy and I into our kimonos and it took only 15 minutes.
Hairstyling is optional but I highly recommend it if you want to at least look like the real deal at the end of the day! Depending on the type of hair styles chosen, prices range from ¥1500 – ¥5000 (~S$19 – S$63). Hairstyling will take another 15 minutes.
Our photographer, Yang Suhao, is a Taiwanese, so we communicated easily in Mandarin. From Yumeyakata, we took a short taxi ride to Gion, our location of choice and commenced our photoshoot. Suhao put us at ease with his warm smile and good naturedness, which made us enjoy the photoshoot. When Little misschewy got tired and became cranky towards the end of the photoshoot, Suhao remained very patient and encouraging.
Even though we only spent two hours in Gion, we had a fun and memorable time posing for photos in our traditional kimonos. Some of the passers-by went, “Kawaii-neh!” while trying to take photos of Little misschewy. We were also very lucky that there were beautiful cherry blossoms to serve as a nice backdrop in some of our photos!
The two hours passed by very quickly and we cabbed back to Yumeyakata after the photoshoot as we had no intention of wearing our kimonos till late evening. We received a link via email to download close to 300 photos the very next day! Our family photos were really well taken thanks to Suhao and these will serve as wonderful memories for us to keep!
This is one of my favorite photos, which I have selected as my iPhone’s wallpaper!
For more information on Yumeyakata and a complete overview of its services available, please head to http://www.yumeyakata.com/english/. Alternatively, there is an e-brochure http://www.yumeyakata.com/english/images/top/en.pdf for the more important and condensed information.
Kyoto Kimono Rental Yumeyakata
600-8103
Hosai Bldg, 353, Shiogama-cho, Nishiiru sakai-machi, Gojo-dori, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto, Japan
Tel: +81-75-354-8515
Special phone line for Chinese & English: +81-75-354-9110
Fax: +81-75-354-8506
Business hours: 10:00 ～ 19:30 (entry by 6 pm) *Subject to changes depending on the season*
Closed on Dec. 31 until Jan.3 every year.（Return by 17:00 on Dec. 30.）
Stay connected with us on Facebook www.facebook.com/missuschewy and on Instagram @missuschewy 🙂
THE CHEWYS’ MARCH 2016 JAPAN 10D9N ITINERARY
(Tokyo – Osaka – Kyoto – Kanazawa – Shirakawago)
Day 1: Singapore to Narita Airport > JR Narita Express to Tokyo > Check into Airbnb at Kita-Ikebukuro > Asakusa Temple & Shopping Street > Shopping and dinner at Sunshine City
Day 2: Tokyo Disneyland
Day 3: Tsukiji Fish Market > Ueno Park > Shopping at Ameya-Yokocho Market > Tea at Fujiya Peko-chan Milky Restaurant > Pokemon Centre at Sunshine City > Dinner at Ichiran
Day 4: Tokyo DisneySea
Day 5: Fujiko•F•Fujio Museum (Doraemon Museum) and Doraemon Cafe > Shopping and dinner at Harajuku
Day 7: Shinkansen from Shin-Osaka to Kyoto > Kiyomizu-dera Temple > Kimono rental and outdoor photoshoot > Dinner at Kichi-Kichi Omurice > Shinkansen to Shin-Osaka
Day 8: Thunderbird Limited Express from Shin-Osaka to Kanazawa > Check into Hotel Nikko Kanazawa > Kenroku-en Garden > Kanazawa Castle > Lunch at Sushi Zanmai > Omicho Market > Higashi Chaya District > Tonkatsu dinner at Tomikinton (富金豚)
Day 9: Nouhi bus from Kanazawa to Shirakawa-go > Sightseeing around Shirakawa-go > Nouhi bus from Shirakawa-go to Kanazawa > Thunderbird Limited Express from Kanazawa to Shin-Osaka > Dinner at Dotonburi (Namba station, Midosuji line)
Day 10: Kansai Airport Limited Express “Haruka” from Shin-Osaka to Kansai Airport > HOME SWEET HOME