About this tour
When Em from our team booked this kimono shoot in Asakusa, we found a straightforward way to get properly dressed in a yukata or kimono and photographed at Sensoji Temple. You pick your outfit from a solid range at their store, trained dressers handle the complicated bits (layering, belts, the lot), and a professional photographer spends an hour capturing you around the temple grounds. It's a 2-hour block all up, and beats wrestling with a costume yourself or paying a fortune elsewhere in Tokyo.
Highlights
- Choose from over 100 kimonos and yukatas in-store before you commit
- Professional dressers who actually know how garments sit properly
- Hairstyle styled to match your chosen outfit, not an afterthought
- 100+ edited photo files delivered, plus 10 retouched to your liking
- One-hour professional shoot around Sensoji Temple and surrounds
- Couple package keeps costs down compared to individual bookings
- Public transport access near the store — no hassle getting there
What to expect
The experience kicks off at their Asakusa store where you browse and try on options — no pressure to rush this bit. Once you've chosen, the dressers take over: they layer, tie, and pin everything so it actually stays put (way tidier than DIY attempts). Hair comes next, styled to complement your kimono's colours and pattern. Then you head out with the photographer for a solid hour around Sensoji Temple and the surrounding lanes, which is the sweet spot for golden light and busy-but-atmospheric backgrounds.
The photographer directs you through poses and angles so you don't stand there looking stiff. Afterwards, you get a heap of files within a few days, plus they'll retouch your top 10 picks. The whole thing feels organised without being robotic — Em reckoned it was the right length to actually relax into it rather than feeling rushed or bored.
What travellers say
- Wide selection of kimonos and yukatas to suit different tastes
- Professional dressers eliminate the stress of traditional layering
- Photographer spends a full hour, not a rushed 20 minutes
- 100+ photos delivered with selective retouching included
- Hairstyle customised to suit your outfit, adds authenticity
- Couple package offers better value than separate bookings
- Makeup charged separately at 6,600 yen — worth knowing upfront
- Sensoji Temple crowds mean other tourists will feature in shots
- Not suitable if you're pregnant due to tight fitting garments
Themes summarised by our team from public information about this tour. Verify specifics on the operator's page before booking.
Good to know
This is genuinely worth doing if you want proper photos in a kimono without the headache of dressing yourself or hiring a babysitter to help. The couple rate makes sense if you're travelling together. Sensoji Temple is iconic and photogenic, and early morning or late afternoon light there is gold. You walk away with heaps of files, so you've got options.
Makeup isn't included in the base price — budget an extra 6,600 yen if you want professional makeup applied. If you want to return the kimono the next day rather than same-day, there's a fee. Pregnant travellers aren't advised to book this (the tight layering and belts aren't ideal). The shoot happens in public spaces, so expect crowds and other tourists in frame, especially around the temple. It's not a private, intimate experience. Check if you're keen on a specific upgrade kimono — those cost extra on top of the package price.
Tour sold and operated by Viator via Viator. Descriptions on this page are original BugBitten summaries written by our team — not copied from the operator. Prices and availability are confirmed at checkout.