Whether you're renting a kimono in Tokyo, Kyoto, or anywhere else in Japan, there are a few things to know before you go.

A four-minute walk from Kiyomizu Temple, Rikawafuku Kiyomizu is a Kyoto kimono rental shop with 300 unique kimonos you won't find anywhere else, from antique kimonos to gorgeous and playful designs with a modern flair. You can create a style that combines traditional kimono with modern, original, and handmade accessories.

At Rikawafuku, you can also have your hair styled to complete your fashionable look before doing some sightseeing in Kyoto!

Price plans include:
・Kyoto Kimono Hair Set Plan (from 6,000 yen, including tax)
・Kyoto Kimono Hair Set Student Discount Plan (from 5,000 yen, including tax); and
・Kyoto Kimono Couple Plan (from 10,000 yen, including tax).

If you don't need your hair styled, the Kyoto Kimono Basic Plan (from 4,000 yen, including tax) is recommended.

Staff members can speak Chinese, Korean, and English, and additional guides and menus in foreign languages are provided.

The Kyoetsu Kawaramachi Shop is a three-minute walk from Kyoto’s central district of Shijo Kawaramachi. This four-story facility is incredibly spacious-even offering spaces to take photos with props such as flower bouquets and masks!

Here you’ll find so much variety in the types of kimonos as well as sizes! All plans come with an obi belt and bag, letting you get creative and choose an outfit you’ll absolutely love!

Kyoetsu also offers many options for accessories. This ranges from lace pieces to fur pieces and even a selection of ribbons. Additionally, when getting your hair styled, you can choose from an unlimited number of hair ornaments!

Hair ornaments include standard pieces like kanzashi, a traditional Japanese ornamental hairpin, and flower decorations as well as pearl and baby’s breath decorations. The Kyoetsu Kawaramachi shop also accepts next-day returns in addition to returns by courier.

Popular package deals include:
・Antique Kimono Plan (4,950 yen including tax); and
・Lace Kimono and Yukata Plan (4,950 yen including tax).

For simple and cute kimonos or yukatas-we recommend the Hitotoki Plan (3,190 yen including tax). There’s also the reasonable Couple Plan (8,800 yen including tax, price for two people) to enjoy!

Foreign language support is available in English, Chinese, and Korean, with the languages spoken indicated on staff members’ name tags.

With 20 stores nationwide, Wargo is Japan's largest kimono rental chain. They also specialize in Japanese accessories, with a wide variety of handbags and geta (traditional Japanese sandals).

All accessories are included with your Kyoto kimono rental so that you can coordinate with cute hairpins and accessories.

Popular rental packages include:
・Standard Kimono Plan (3,300 yen, including tax)
・Mamechiyo Modern Kimono Plan (5,500 yen, including tax), in which you can wear a kimono with an innovative design; and
・Casual Furisode Plan (11,000 yen including tax) that allows you to wear a kimono made of glossy, high-quality fabric (all prices exclude tax).

All are offered at a discount for online reservations and payment.

The store has staff fluent in English and Chinese.

Rental Kimono SHIKI SAKURA, which the Maiko Experience Studio Shiki facility operates, is particular about offering elegant and beautiful clothing. Even if you have difficulty choosing, the staff will assist you in choosing the kimono that suits you best!

Package deals include the reasonable "Set Plan" (4,400 yen including tax) and "Select Plan" (5,500 yen) plan that comes with a choice of various kimono, obi, bag, and sandals. There are also men's and children's plans available so that you can dress up as a family.

Additionally, the "Yukata (Summer Kimono) Campaign" can be enjoyed for the same price of 3,278 yen (including tax) from June 1 to September 15, 2024.

Another perk available is the indoor photoshoot service! This can be added the day of for an additional 1,100 yen (including tax), so you can share your experience with family and friends.

The Kyoto kimono rental shop staff speak English and Chinese.

Produced by the Okamoto Textile Store, a long-established company founded 190 years ago, Rental Kimono Okamoto is said to be the founder of the kimono rental business.

This large, traditional machiya townhouse has over 330 square meters of floor space! Here, you can take photos with the garden as a backdrop.

It’s also very accessible, only a 1-minute walk from Kiyomizu Temple. Kimono can be returned the next day or through your hotel. This enables you to enjoy sightseeing in Kyoto at your own pace.

The Kyoto kimono rental shop has over 1,000 kimonos in various sizes and styles, from cute and cool to beautiful and antique. There are plenty of obi belts, bags, accessories, and sandals so you can coordinate to your tastes.

The staff has a high level of technical skill in dressing customers and hairstyling; you can leave the shop with confidence, knowing you’ll look your best.

Recommended plans include:
・The easy Set Plan (2,980 yen)
・Full Outfit Plan (4,980 yen) - their most popular option; and
・Yukata Plan (3,980 to 4,980 yen, tax excluded).
There are various plans for men and children.

In addition to having English-speaking staff readily available, the shop also provides guides and menu plans in English as well as Chinese.

An incredible perk of Kimono Rental Yume Kyoto Kodaiji Store is its easy access to multiple sightseeing areas. This includes Kodaiji Temple (one-minute walk), Kiyomizu Temple (five-minute walk), and Gion (10-minute walk).

After sightseeing, you can return your kimono through your hotel or at other Kimono Rental Yume Kyoto branches so you can go sightseeing without worrying about the return time.

You can choose from about 400 kimonos, including antique pieces. Popular plans include:
・Omakase Coordination Plan (3,300 yen, including tax)
・Full Set Coordination Plan (5,500 yen, including tax), and
・Hannari Plan (6,600 yen including tax), which includes kimono sporting retro and antique patterns.

English-speaking staff are always on-site, and additional information is available in English and Chinese.

Rental Kimono Rose has a wide selection of genuine silk kimonos. The experienced staff will fit the kimono properly according to customers’ body shape, with beautiful results.

Kimono and yukata for men and children are also available. With cool kimono in summer and stoles and haori in the winter, couples and families can enjoy the experience all year round.

A popular plan is the “Vintage Kimono Plan” (September 15th to June 15th) for 4,400 yen (including tax).

On-location and in-studio photo shoots are popular options. For those holding a wedding ceremony in Japan, pre- and post-ceremony photo sessions are also available.

Staff who can speak English are always on hand to help.

At Fuji Rental Kimono Specialty Store, you’ll be dressed in the finest attire that remains comfortable and stays in place throughout the entire day! The store is also a convenient five-minute walk from Kiyomizu-dera Temple and near the bus stop.

The shop has a selection of more than 500 all-new kimonos with gorgeous colors and cute patterns. Men's and children's kimono and yukata rentals are also available for family fun throughout the year.

Popular plans include:
・Couple Plan (8,900 yen, including tax)
・Parent and Child Plan (9,900 yen, including tax); and the
・Easy Plan (3,000 yen, including tax).

Right by Fushimi Inari Shrine Station and a quick four-minute walk from JR’s Inari Station is Kyoto Aiwafuku Fushimi Inari Shop. This kimono store is superbly situated a mere five minutes away from Fushimi Inari Shrine!

As this shop was built by renovating a standard Japanese home, you’ll sense a warmth in the facility that makes it extremely inviting.

Starting with beautiful Komon kimono, a dyed kimono covered with fine patterns, this shop offers a range of modern, vintage, and girly lace kimono! You’ll also find a selection of accessories, such as cocktail hats and other lacey items, that will enhance your kimono’s beauty!

Trendy options include outfits that incorporate Taisho romanticism-a style of art and fashion popularized in the Taisho period (1912 - 1926).

What’s more, this shop also has many options for men! For couples, we recommend the “Couple Plan” which lets you match with your partner by choosing similar-style obi belts, etc.

All prices listed for the following package deals include kimono rentals, fittings, hair styling, and a choice of hair accessories (hairstyling/accessories are available only for women).

Package deals include:
・Women’s Plan (5,500 yen, including tax)
・Men’s Plan (5,500 yen, including tax); and
・Couple Plan (8,500 yen, including tax).

In July and August, yukatas are offered, and in June and September, you are given the choice of either a yukata or kimono.

All guides and displayed items in the shop are listed in English and Chinese.

Kyo Aruki (Kyoto Shijo Main Store) can be found right in Kyoto’s center nearby famous tourist attractions such as Gion, Yasaka Shrine, and Kiyomizu Temple.

What’s more, if you’re willing to take a small detour, you’ll end up at famous sites including Fujimi Inari Shrine and Arashiyama.

On top of being only a two-minute walk from both Shijo Station and Karasuma Station, it’s also a six-minute walk from Kyoto Station! Since the store is surrounded by several hotels and traditional Japanese inns, it’s a convenient area to enjoy activities you planned during your trip.

Moreover, Kyo Aruki is a megastore that fits up to 300 people! Comfortably try on kimono in a facility with more than enough space! Reservations can also be made the day of your visit.

With Kyo Aruki making an appearance in one of Japan’s biggest fashion events, Kansai Collection, here you’ll find kimono styles that are at the forefront of modern fashion! Not only offering a beautiful array of kimono, here you’ll find an abundance in accessories such as hair ornaments as well as obi belts.

For those who want to have a simple but authentic experience, we recommend the “Standard Kimono Plan” (3,300 yen, including tax), whereas customers wanting to choose from 700 new and popular kimonos can try the “High-grade Kimono Plan” (4,400 yen, including tax).

Men can choose from a range of designs using the “Men’s Kimono Plan” (4,400 yen, including tax), and couples can enjoy wearing kimono together with the “Couple Plan” (6,600 yen, including tax).

Established over 160 years ago, Kyoto Kimono Rental Yumeyakata is known as one of Japan's largest kimono rental shops!

It's conveniently located a three-minute walk from the subway stop-Gojo Station. Moreover, this area is a Hanamachi (flower town) district where Geisha reside, and many traditional Japanese restaurants can be found, called Miyagawa-cho.

In this district lies Gojozaka, a street that's famous for its traditional Japanese Kiyomizu ware earthenware that's made around Kimomizu Temple. Make sure to enjoy all the retro townscapes when stopping by!

This shop offers kimono for women, men, and children. There's also a wide selection of furisode, long-sleeved kimono made for Japan's coming of age ceremony; homongi, a special kimono women wear during formal visits; and hakama, a long-sleeved pleated skirt worn over a kimono.

With over 1,000 kimonos and yukatas in stock, there are many colors and designs to choose from! Kid's kimono sizes start from 85 centimeters, whereas men's kimono sizes go up to 5L, and women's sizes up to four large. At the Yumeyakata Gojo shop, there are options for any age or figure!

The most popular package deal at the Yumeyakata Gojo Shop has to be the “Sightseeing Kimono Rental Plan” (4,180 yen including tax, must be reserved in advance).

There’s also the “Lace Coordinate Plan” (7,700 yen including tax), which includes lace accessories, an upgraded purse, and hairstyling for ladies.

Additionally, those who reserve and rent their kimono after noon can opt for next-day returns! Returns must be made either at the store by 5:00 p.m. the following day or via hotel/convenience store courier services (costs an additional 500 yen including tax).

Such a deal will enable you to enjoy strolling through nighttime Kyoto in traditional Japanese clothing!

Services in English, Chinese, and Korean are available. Moreover, in collaboration with their sister shop “Kyoto Kimonomachi,” new kimonos that implement original designs and color schemes are released every season!

Shop employees also can’t seem to get enough of these adorable patterns! Its popularity can be attributed to its dynamic usage of color and cute and unique designs!

There are even unique and original designs for men-enabling anyone and everyone to find enjoyment in choosing a kimono!

Simply seeing kimono is wonderful, but if you actually wear one, you can gain a more profound feeling of Japanese culture, and sightseeing will take on a new level of enjoyment. The kimono experience may seem involved and a little daunting, but friendly staff will provide guidance and advice.

Taking a stroll through the streets of Kyoto in a kimono while snapping graceful pictures against the backdrop of temples and traditional buildings is sure to make for some irreplaceable memories!

(Please be advised that all stores conduct temperature measurements, and wearing masks and disinfecting your hands are required when entering.)

*The information in this article has been re-edited in April 2022 since its original posting in July 2020. For updated information, please check each official website.
Text by: Yoko Okumura, Dali Corporation