Renting a Kimono in Kyoto

Girls in kimono in Kiyomizu-dera.

There are a number of shops that rent out kimono in Kyoto and offer kimono-wearing services. Because Kyoto is a big tourist area--currently Conde Nast's top Asian destination for the second year--they cater mostly to travellers and tourists both foreign and local, although the Japanese are also apt to acquire their services for special occasions due to the expense of owning the actual garment. (Also, renting offers more variety.) Here are links to some of the stores with english websites:

1. Sensho Kitamura

Location: 470 Shimokawaracho Higashiyama-ku Kyoto-shi kyoto 605-0825

Price: 5250Y (includes dressing, accessories and hair setting)

Return on or before: 6:00PM

2. Yume-Kyoto

Location:
(main shop) 300 Gion-cho Higashiyama-ku Kyoto-shi ACROSS Yasaka building 4F
(Kodaiji shop) Masuya 2F, 362-5 Masuya-cho, Higasiyama-ku, Kyoto-shi 605-0826

Price: for female, 3500Y if they choose for you, 5250Y if you choose for yourself (400 choices). 5250Y for male.
*Note: Kodaiji shop only offers the 5250Y plan (200 choices).

Return on or before: 6:00PM

3. Yumeyakata

Location: Hosai Bldg, 353, Shiogama-cho, Nishiiru sakai-machi, Gojo-dori, Shimogyo-ku

Price: 2500yen if you reserve in advance. 5000yen for couple (male and female) rental.

Return on or before: 7:30PM

4. Okamoto

Location:

(main shop) 6-538-14 Gojouhashi Higashi, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto-shi
(Kiyomizuzaka shop) 2-237-1-1 Kiyomizu, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto-shi

Price: ranging from 3150-5250yen for female (price depends on how many kimonos you want to base your selection on.) 4200yen for male.

Return on or before: 7:30PM

5. Kikkabo

Note: This shop is different from the first four. You don't go to their place. They come to you. Very convenient if you're new and don't want the hassle of traveling and looking for the rental shop or are pressed for time. Even more convenient if you're staying at one of the places they're tied up with. Otherwise, make sure to email and ask if there's an additional commuting charge for them to come to your hotel.

Also something to take note, because of the nature of their service, apparently reservations can be filled up. (Right now on their site, it says they can't accept reservations until December 3.) So be sure to check their page for info.

Price: 5000Y. Their set choices are listed on this page.

Return on or before: 8:00PM at your hotel/hostel's reception. If you're somehow attending an event that runs all night, you can return it at 9AM at the front desk for additional fee.
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Some factors to consider that may influence your choice:

Price

For me, it eventually boiled down to two: Yumeyakata or Okamoto. I wanted to go with the former because it was cheaper. (I think it has the cheapest rate of the shops found online, if you're just after the basic kimono rental plan without all the frills.) But I finally went with the latter because the photos of its kimono collection made it look so enticing.

Here's a price example for Yumeyakata (for female) with all the trimmings:

Female Kimono Rental 2500Y
Plus Hair Setting 1050Y
Plus Full MakeUp 3000Y
Plus Hair Accessory 300Y
Plus Different-colored neckpiece 500Y
Plus Different-style sash 500Y
Plus Obi tie 200Y
Plus Nagahaori (Outer Jacket) 500Y
= Total 8550Y

To be fair, you can opt out of having full makeup done (just do it yourself!) That's minus 3000Y, which almost similarly amounts to Okamoto's rental service fee. And if you're on a budget and just want the kimono, the basic package gives you the kimono, obi, geta (sandals) and a bag, which is pretty much all you'll need really. The good thing about Yumeyakata's system is it gives you options.

Okamoto's pricing is based on how many kimono you want to base your choice on. The cheapest is 3150Y and you get to choose from 30 sets. Good if you don't want to be bogged down by what my husband calls "The Paradox of Choice" (basically, you get mind-boggled by all the options that you don't choose at all.) Their most popular plan, which costs 5250Y, lets you look at an ENTIRE ROOM of about 600+ kimono. It sounds fun, and it is--SO MUCH PRETTY--but you just want to wear everything! You also risk getting The Paradox of Choice and Buyer's Remorse if what you got eventually didn't turn out to be your cup of tea.

I say to go for the 5250Y plan anyway. :D The chances of picking the wrong kimono out of 600+ is quite small because they're all so beautiful.

Advance Reservations Time Frame

Part of my decision also stemmed from taking a while to decide on a date to push through with it. To my understanding, it is possible for you to just be a walk-in customer although it's more recommended to make advance reservations. You can do this online. Some stores though have a "time limit" for this so they can write confirmation emails promptly--for Yumeyakata, it has to be three days in advance, Okamoto's is 2 days. Any time shorter and you have to call for a reservation. Honestly, I don't like making phone calls, even in my native tongue, what more when there's a language barrier involved! (I'm weird.) So because I only decided on Saturday that we would go on a Monday, Okamoto was the default choice.

Location

Okamoto has 2 stores, the main shop and a branch on the souvenir trail going up to Kiyomizu-dera. I thought I had been prudent in picking the branch but, alas, it was right smack in the middle of a slope which could be reached from the bus station only after about a 10 minute hike. (My husband and I aren't exactly the fittest of couples.) My original plan was to do a temple-hop tour route that involved getting off and on a lot of buses. Because of the miscalculation, we were limited to Kiyomizu-dera and its surrounding areas instead. This still isn't a bad thing, though you'd have to do a lot of walking between temples.

Here's a mini-map of the store locations, plotted using info from Google Maps: A. Sensho-Kitamura, B. Yumeyakata, C. Okamoto Kiyomizuzaka branch, D. Okamoto main shop, E. Yume-Kyoto Gion/Yasaka Shrine, F. Yume-Kyoto Kodaiji 

Based on their access maps, if you want to do the hop-on, hop-off buses thing, I would recommend going to either Yumeyakata or Yume-Kyoto which are both fronting streets with bus stations. Yume-Kyoto in particular seems very convenient as it's a few steps away from Yasaka Shrine and near the Gion bus station. This way, you can maybe go down to Fushimi Inari (via train: walk to Gion Shijo station of the Keihan Railway and get off at Fushimi Inari Station) or up to Kinkakuji (via Bus 12 in Gion) in your kimono. Then you can go back to tour the Higashiyama area--get off the bus at Kiyomizu-michi and go up to Kiyomizu-dera, go down & pass Sannenzaka and Ninnenzaka, Ryozen Kannon, Entokuin, Kodaiji Temple, and then finally back to Yasaka Shrine. (Maybe make a short detour through Maruyama Park if it's cherry blossom season.) This way you'll be nearby when the rental time runs out. For Yume-Kyoto, that's at 6PM.

In kimono among the torii at Fushimi Inari

Saw this girl in kimono. This was near Toji temple, I think.

(About that...) Return Time

The stores ask you to return your rental at a certain time before they close, so if you want to make the most of your experience, you can go to the ones that have a later time. Some stores though give the option for hotel delivery and pick-ups for a fee. They can bring your things to the hotel you're staying in and pick up their kimono from the front desk the day after. That way you can wear it until evening without worrying about time limits. If you opt for this service, then store location doesn't really matter. (Just make sure to take very good care of your rental kimono. I mean, can you bear soiling something so beautiful???)

Tourists can undergo a maiko transformation as well.
Usually the time frame for it is shorter than for wearing
regular kimono though. (You can rent a kimono for an entire day.
Some maiko makeovers have to be returned after just an hour.)

I've only listed what were my personal points of consideration in choosing a kimono rental shop. You may have different concerns, for example, if you're also interested in having a professional photo session or maiko (apprentice geisha) makeover, some of the stores above offer those as well. So please don't hesitate to visit their websites. I hope you found this blog post helpful. Here's another I saw online with more info:

Japan Tourist - Guide to Hiring a Kimono in Kyoto in a Budget