Japanese-made Rental Kimono Wakana — Local services in Kyoto

Considering that the earlier I get to Wakana, the more selections of kimonos and bags I have, I made a reservation at 9:30 am. But I found that all the kimono in Wakana are gorgeous, so I had nothing to worry about actually LOL. My mom and I both picked out furisodes that we were very satisfied with.

All the kimono masters and the service staff are very friendly. Although I only know few words in Japanese, I still had a great time chatting with them~

Thank you, kimono masters and service staff. Thanks for your help, my mom and I got such wonderful and unforgettable memories that day~

!!! But for those considering renting kimonos, please note that certain styles of Wakana’s kimonos are only available for rental for a limited number of months depending on the season.

On the day I rented furisode, I met a Chinese-speaking receptionist and another English-speaking receptionist. Although not all staff spoke foreign languages, Wakana had prepared homemade translation cards and hairstyle pictures for customers to choose from. Based on my experience of the day, for example:

If you purchase makeup and hair services

。One of two makeup styles: natural or heavy 。One of three main colors (eye shadow): pink/orange/brown

As for the hairstyle, the shelves in the powder room were full of hair accessories, and you could tell the hairstylist if you preferred any hair accessories, or let the hairstylist help match the hair accessories according to the color and pattern of your kimono.

My personal experience that day: First, go to the 2nd floor to confirm the reservation information, then select the kimono you prefer and carry the selected kimono to the dressing room upstairs. After exiting the elevator, there is a dressing room on the right and a powder room on the left. The handbags in the store are numbered. After you finish wearing the kimono, you can use it to hold your original clothes and bags and store them on the shelves in the dressing area. The staff will also remind you: remember to take pictures so as not to forget which bag your things are in.

According to the service plan you booked, you can start to select kimono clutch bags, and the kimono master will help you dress.

When dressing up, there is a standing mirror in front of the customer, so that the customer can check whether he or she is satisfied with the color and pattern of the belts and ropes at any time.

The master I met took the initiative to ask my preferences throughout the process. Because ropes and belts of various colors will be placed next to the standing mirror, customers who have their ideas can easily express their preferences to the master. Like my mom, although she doesn't speak English or Japanese, she still successfully communicated with the master through hand gestures and got the combination she preferred.

If you purchase makeup and hair services, you can go to the powder room and have your hair done by the hairstylist and have makeup done by staff.

The hairstylist will provide about 5 pictures of hairstyles for guests as selections. If you have no idea which hairstyle to choose, the hairstylist will also provide further suggestions. The hairstylist will also take the initiative to ask you for your hair accessory preferences. For example, my mom picked out her favorite fake flower as a hair accessory.

Wakana部分款式的和服,有季節限定可租借月分,有特定款式偏好的人建議可以關注下官網消息。

租借和服當天,有遇到一位會中文、另一位會英文的接待人員，雖然不是全部工作人員都會外語,但是店家有準備自製翻譯小卡跟方案可提供的大約5種髮型圖片供客人選擇,依我當天的經驗為例:

有購買妝髮服務的話

。妝容風格可以2選1: 自然或偏濃 。主色調(眼影)可以3選1:...

My partner and I visited Wakana on 26th May 2023, we bought the couple package on Klook. I would like to thank them for the wonderful service. The receptionist was able to speak fluent Chinese (luckily) and she greeted politely and directed us to the area to choose our kimono. We picked the earliest slot available and was able to pick the best designs available! After choosing, they directed us to the changing room. The staffs will be there to help us put on each layer and as we go along, they will ask us to choose the accessories to go with it as well. The staff that helped me was very friendly and her speed was really fast. I asked for her recommendations for the accessories and she picked what she thinks is cute, which suits my taste! They will ask you to put all your belongings into a large tote bag (provided by them), including your bag, but the package includes a bag that you can rent. Just to note for ladies, if you would like to choose prettier/ cuter bags, there will be additional charges for that! I styled my hair before heading to Wakana but I added on to renting of their hair accessories. But not to worry, their hair/makeup staff will be there to assist to pin. Super cute and lovely! Overall 10/10 experience!...

Chanced upon Wakana Kimono Rental from their IG stories, I appreciated that they had the option of wearing our own kimono. All the staff were very friendly and welcoming. I also like that they had an English speaking staff who gave very clear instructions to avoid miscommunications. The dressing and make up process was very quick, they also aided our selection of kimono. I wore a premium rental kimono (full set) and my mum wore her own (full set) kimono. The Rental kimonos were very pretty and comfortable. We even wore them to a traditional tea ceremony.

The photographer Taka was really friendly and humorous, made us feel at ease so that we wouldn't look too stiff in the photos. He gave very good instructions, guiding us to pose and even demo for us to see. hahaha which was so cute. Even though Taka couldn't speak English very well he communicated with google translate to get his instructions across. When we received the digital photos we really loved them.

Lastly, I was surprised that we even had a physical photograph given to us when we returned our kimonos. I really loved that photo. We truly enjoyed our experience at Wakana and we'd definitely go back in...