Like many people who travel to Japan, I was hoping to get the chance to wear a Kimono/ Yukata. Which I got to experience at Asakusa.
The Yukata was hired from a shop called Asakusa shichi Henge, please look at the bottom of the article for more details. The website has English on it, which makes it easier to see what packages the shop has to offer.
The one day plan that I chose today cost 3,800 Yen, this included the price of the socks, which you get to keep at the end of the day. You can wear the Kimono/ Yukata from 10 a.m. till 4:30 p.m. It must be returned to the shop at 4:30 p.m. I wore a Yukata, which are designed to be worn in the summer and made from a lighter weight fabric. Kimonos are much heavy and designed to be worn when the weather is cooler.
When I got to the shop I was kindly welcomed, which made me feel more relaxed. As in most Japanese places, I was asked to take off my shoes and then given a bag to put them in. The room where all the kimonos are kept is up stairs and there are only women that work there.
I was very happy when I got to chose which Yukata I would like to wear. It was a really hard decision, as they are all so beautiful! In the end I chose one that would go with my pink hair bow.
First they will ask you to put on a undergarment, then wrap the Yukata around you. As Yukata are one size, they will fold and tuck the fabric around you to match you height and size. So don’t worry about being to tall to wear one!
I was given a choice of two colors to chose for the obi belt and the rope that tries around it. Before they put on the obi belt they first wrapped around a thin piece of fabric and tied this tightly. Next a stiff piece of fabric was put in place before the obi was wrapped around. This is great for giving you the correct posture, it does feel a little strange to begin with. I was quite surprised when they even gave me a choice of traditional looking bags to chose from. I chose the pink one as it matched the outfit best. The lady at the shop will give you a number, which they will put on your belongings/bag that you wish to leave there. They do advise you to take you mobile phone and purse with you.
When I first started walking around it felt a little strange, as I was wearing the traditional wooden sandals called Zori. You can only take small steps when wearing these. It was lucky that I visited today, as I got to make my wish. To make your wish throw money into the prayer box and clap twice and then bow. You will see many other people doing this.
Wearing the Yukata made me feel like, I had got a chance to experience more of Japan’s traditional cultures, not just from watching about it on tv. And It also made my feel pretty and girly. It was a great experience that I would defiantly recommended to put on your to do list when you visit Japan. Photos from the day, will be fun to share with my friends back home.
This shop also offers the chance for Men to hire Yukatas for the same one day experience costing the same 3800yen. If there are two or more of you wearing a Yukata you can get a discount, of 2500yen per person plus the 300yen each for socks.
Will you trying wearing a Kimono or Yukata when you visit to Japan?
This is another information for this shop:
If you are intersted in hiring Yukatas, you need to book. If you are lucky enough, maybe you’ll get a chance without reservation because someone might cancel on that day.
