I have always wanted to wear kimonos or yukatas and finally I got the chance last Summer! I went back to Japan during my summer holiday. It was summer season so there's no more kimonos, instead it's yukata time. What is Yukata? Yukata is a light summer-use kimono clothing made from cotton. If you like to read manga, you will see many manga scenes where the characters are having summer festival, wearing yukata, enjoying the stalls selling street food and watching the parade. I went to Osaka, Kyoto, and Tokyo, but I choose Kyoto to rent the yukata as Kyoto has traditional historic values all around the city. The wooden houses, the temples, the shrines, all give a traditional vintage vibe.

There are many kimono/yukata rental places all around Kyoto, I googled it and research very thoroughly as I want the best yet cheapest one I could get. After compiling both the locations and prices, I decided to go for Kyoto Kimono Rental Wargo. In terms of pricing, it is more cheaper than other kimono rentals out there. Not to mention, their convenient location all around Japan. They have branches in Osaka, Kyoto, and Tokyo.

The location in Kyoto is very convenient, it's located inside the Kyoto Tower  *-*. The store is just 2 minutes away from Kyoto station!! Once you went in, you will be greeted with a lovely smile from the receptionists asking you whether you have a reservation or not. It is highly recommended to book first before you go as it might be crowded.
There are three types of Yukata plan that they provide; Standard Yukata, Premium Yukata, High End Yukata. The standard yukata plan(3200YEN) is for those who want experience wearing yukata or doing rental for the first time. The premium plan(4200YEN) is the most well known amongst customers. It has more advanced yukatas which are suitable for those who love fashionable pattern style: deep color textures that draw attention; big flower patterns such as Taisho Roman. For High End Yukata Plan(5200YEN), the yukatas are made by designers or well known brands.
 I was given a standard Yukata plan for a day. The standard yukata plan includes 6 items; kanzashi, yukata, obi, underwear, geta, and bag. The staff then lead me to rows of racks filled with yukatas that I can choose. There is so many Yukatas available and a lot of different patterns, I was overwhelmed and it took me quite some time to pick one that I like. I finally chose a maple leaf pattern yukata. I know it's kinda autumn-ish but I like it somehow ;-;;.
After you picked your choice of yukata and obi, you will be asked to follow a dresser where they will take you to ladies dressing room. Inside the dressing room, the dresser will help you wear the yukata, it is hard to wear a yukata if you are not a local as there's many layers and folding. The dresser treated me very nicely, the yukata was too long for me as I am short in height, she folded it multiple times and somehow managed to make it look unseen which is good so people won't know that the yukata was too long for me :D
Afterwards, you will go to the makeup & hairdo place. The staff will then do a hairdo for you to match with the yukata. You will have to choose Kanzashi for your hairdo. Kanzashi are hair ornaments used in traditional Japanese hairstyles. (I swear all of the kanzashis are so cute ;-;).
Finished with makeup & hairdo, now it's time for you to choose bag! I chose a handcrafted bag to go with my traditional look. The staff will give a huge plastic bag for you to put your belongings and shoes inside, you can take it later after you return their yukata.
Now it's time to choose Geta! Geta are a form of traditional Chinese-Japanese footwear that resemble both clogs and flip-flops. Geta were invented by the Chinese and then introduced to Japan from China.Basically its a wooden sandals worn by Japanese girls with traditional clothing like Yukata/Kimono.
Now I am set and ready to go sightseeing with my yukata on! I really enjoy all the process and the service was really good too. Definitely will choose them again when I visit Japan next time!


Note:
Reserve on their website: http://kyotokimono-rental.com - it is available in many languages so you don't have to worry! You can also choose which yukata/kimono you'd like to wear during your visit so you don't have to worry about not getting your preferred yukata/kimono. You can also get discount if you're in a group! You can save money with group plan, if you have more than 8 people, you will get discounted price which is 10%OFF. This is the best plan for group of travellers!! What are you waiting for? Go reserve and wear KIMONO/YUKATA while you're in Japan!

WATCH MY KYOTO VIDEO: