At a kimono rental shop you pick a pattern you love, get dressed by the staff, and head straight out to stroll historic streets. Specialist shops cluster in towns with old streetscapes, temples and shrines, such as Asakusa in Tokyo, Higashiyama in Kyoto, the Higashi Chaya District in Kanazawa and Kamakura. Many shops also offer yukata in summer, so you can enjoy a different look each season.
The kimono is Japan's traditional attire, and today it is mostly worn on special occasions such as Coming of Age Day and weddings. Rental shops in tourist areas offer complete sets including kimono, obi sash, zori sandals, a bag and other accessories, and the staff dress you, so even first-timers can arrive empty-handed and enjoy a walk around town in kimono.
Places introduced on official tourism sites of local governments and tourism associations. Check each official site for prices, hours and booking.
📍 Kanazawa, Ishikawa
A kimono rental shop just steps from the Higashi Chaya District. Kimono come with a full set of obi and accessories, and you can also choose kimono for men and children or yukata in summer.
💡 You can arrive empty-handed and set off to explore the teahouse district right after changing.
📍 Taito, Tokyo
A kimono and yukata rental shop introduced by the Asakusa Tourism Federation, offering dressing and hair styling. You can also choose lace kimono or kimono with retro patterns.
💡 If you are in a large group, book early through the official website.
📍 Taito, Tokyo
A kimono and yukata rental shop near Kaminarimon, introduced by the Asakusa Tourism Federation as popular with young women and students. Hair styling to match your outfit is also available.
💡 Nakamise, the shopping street leading from Kaminarimon to Senso-ji, gets crowded, so watch where you walk so no one steps on your hem.
📍 Kamakura, Kanagawa
A kimono rental shop near Kamakura Station and Tsurugaoka Hachimangu, just off Komachi-dori Street. Choose from a wide range of patterns; besides kimono for strolling, they also offer hakama and furisode.
💡 Same-day bookings may not be available in busy seasons, so booking online in advance is the safest bet.
📍 Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto
A kimono rental shop in Gion, listed on the Kyoto City Tourism Association's list of kimono rental shops. Its location is convenient for exploring Gion and the area around Yasaka Shrine.
💡 There are also branches in Kiyomizu, Arashiyama and in front of Kyoto Station, so you can pick one to suit your plans.
📍 Shimogyo Ward, Kyoto
A kimono rental shop where dressing takes place in fully private rooms. It also offers pure silk homongi (formal visiting kimono), and staff can help you choose a kimono suited to the occasion.
💡 The shop has moved, so check its current location on the official website before you visit.
📍 Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto
A kimono rental shop run by a long-established textile company, with a wide selection of kimono and accessories. It is conveniently located for exploring Higashiyama, including Kiyomizu-dera and the Yasaka Pagoda.
💡 You can leave your luggage at the shop, so after changing you can enjoy the sloping streets unencumbered.
PRKlookKyoto Yumeyakata Kimono Rental (Gojo)At the Gojo shop run by a long-established kimono house, choose a kimono or yukata and get dressed, with hakama and photo plans also available.View on Klook
PRKlookKyoto Ookini Kimono Rental Yasaka Shrine GionKimono rental and dressing at a shop near Yasaka Shrine, with hair styling and photography available as add-ons.View on Klook
PRKlookKyoto Kimono Rental near Kiyomizu-dera (Rental Kimono First)A shop within walking distance of Kiyomizu-dera, with a large selection including men's kimono, hakama and summer yukata.View on Klook
🍵 7 placesTokyo & Around ・ Chubu & Hokuriku ・ Kansai
In a tea room you watch the host's otemae (tea preparation), enjoy wagashi (Japanese sweets) and matcha, and then try whisking matcha yourself. Beginners and overseas travelers can easily join in Uji, home of Uji tea, in Kyoto city, in Kanazawa with its deep-rooted tea culture, and in Ginza, Tokyo.
🍡 6 placesChubu & Hokuriku ・ Kansai ・ Chugoku & Shikoku
Learn from wagashi artisans and instructors as you shape jo-namagashi (fine fresh confections) such as nerikiri (sweet bean paste confections) with your own hands. You can easily join in Kyoto and Kanazawa, where tea culture runs deep, and in Matsue and Izumo, known as wagashi towns.
🍣 5 placesTokyo & Around ・ Chubu & Hokuriku ・ Kansai
Under the guidance of chefs and instructors, you make nigiri and rolled sushi or hand-made soba noodles yourself and enjoy them on the spot. Classes are easy to join everywhere, from city-center studios in Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto to soba country such as Togakushi in Nagano and Nikko in Tochigi.
🖌️ 6 placesTokyo & Around ・ Kansai ・ Chugoku & Shikoku
Using a brush and ink, you practice your favorite kanji or your own name on hanshi practice paper, then write a final copy on shikishi (a decorative square board). Studios in Ginza and Yushima in Tokyo and in a Kyoto machiya townhouse welcome beginners and overseas travelers, while in Nara and Kumano, Hiroshima, you can also get hands-on with making the ink and brushes that calligraphy depends on.
💐 5 placesTokyo & Around ・ Kansai
Arrange seasonal flowers and branches in a vase and discover a uniquely Japanese sense of beauty through ikebana. You can try it at places that welcome beginners and overseas travelers, including Ikenobo at Rokkakudo in Kyoto, considered the birthplace of ikebana, the Sogetsu Kaikan in Tokyo and small studios in Osaka.
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In the regions where artisans have handed down their skills, you can try pottery, indigo dyeing, gold leaf application, Edo Kiriko cut glass and papermaking with your own hands. From Mashiko and Arita ceramics to Edo Kiriko in Tokyo, Kanazawa gold leaf, Mino washi and Tokushima indigo, workshops and public facilities around Japan welcome first-timers.
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Use your whole body to beat taiko drums large and small, and feel the sound and rhythm resonate deep in your chest. Besides dedicated studios in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka, you can try it on Sado Island, home base of the taiko performing group Kodo, and in Hamamatsu, home to a long-established taiko maker.
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Zazen (seated meditation) in a Zen temple and shakyo, copying a sutra one character at a time, are temple experiences that let you calm your mind in the middle of your travels. Temples that welcome first-timers include Eiheiji, head temple of the Soto school; Engakuji and Kenchoji, among the Five Great Zen Temples of Kamakura; Tofukuji and Ryosokuin in Kyoto; and Yakushiji in Nara.
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A shukubo is lodging for pilgrims visiting a temple or shrine, where you can savor shojin ryori (Buddhist vegetarian cuisine), join the morning service and experience a day in a place of prayer. You can stay in long-standing centers of faith such as Koyasan in Wakayama, Mt. Hiei in Shiga, Zenkoji and Togakushi in Nagano, and Mt. Haguro of the Dewa Sanzan in Yamagata.
Place information is based on official tourism sites of local governments and tourism associations and on each place’s official site. Experiences and availability may change.
Checked: 2026-10-16
