Kimono Rental Miyabi (Kiyomizu Temple Branch) — Local services in Kyoto

I don’t recommend this place especially if you're a foreigner. I went with my friends recently to this kimono shop for the experience I paid to get my hair and makeup done. I bought the tickets at Klook and when I got there I checked in and they told me to look and pick. At no point in time did they try to help me choose which one would look good on me based on complexion since I’m Latina I have a little bit of melanin. Anywho I picked my Kimono which I thought was cute at least, I get sent to the back and well there’s no privacy you just have to take off your clothes there with the rest of the girls and wait to have your kimono fixed to your body. I got everything on and I sat down in the chair looking at the hairstyles thinking Ohh I like this one this is cute… when I tell them I want it. They proceeded to tell me I couldn’t get that one only the free one which I was confused about because I paid. It’s an updo bun on the side of my head with two flowers, I look at the rest of the Japanese girls they have pearls in their hair more extra accessories even got it curled. While my stylist whoever did it half-assed it, I didn’t like it at all. They didn't even try to find out if I paid for the pack which It felt like she didn’t even want me there at all, and guess what no makeup done despite me paying for it. I didn’t want to think that it was racism, but I look at my Asian friend she has a cute pin in her hair, pearls and flowers. I won’t lie I felt sad and some type of way I didn’t even wear makeup thinking it would be done, we walked around the temples the shoes were super slippery, and I noticed other people's Kimonos were so much better. If you want to want to wear kimonos I recommend looking somewhere else and not this shop they aren’t very friendly… I would give them a one star but I thought my kimono I picked was cute so I’ll give...

Not sure how this branch got such decent reviews but we decided to use this place because of it + the fact that it was a Klook vendor and what a mistake that was.

The place was messy, there was no organized system for the whole process and bags were just stuffed in larger duffels and stowed near the entrance, which was not always manned (we waited 2 minutes before someone emerged and asked us what we wanted).

They clearly entertain a lot of bookings due to the fact that they’re on Klook and the lack of systemic flows made the whole experience quite chaotic — we constantly had to ask the staff what to do next so laying it here in case it helps anyone:

Enter and take off shoes — staff should hand you a plastic bag for footwear and a black duffel which your shoes, bag and clothes go into.

Pick a kimono and sash

Let the staff know you’re ready and hand the kimono over to them.

When the dressing room becomes available, they’ll direct you in and someone will do your hair and help put on the kimono.

Once you’re decked out, head out to pick a bag and leave your duffel with the staff

Head out to explore the streets

As for the staff, there are a number of ladies from Taiwan and China helping to run the place — they were the least professional, with the way they spoke at times bordering on rude. The Japanese staff who helped do my hair and put on my kimono were a total 180, with all the politeness you would expect of locals here.

Generally, I would say skip this even though it’s affordable and use one of the nicer-looking (but likely also pricier) ones along Higashi-oodori — that’s what I’ll be...

Booked the 9am slot and there was already a queue at 830am. Most of the staff can speak mandarin but all of their English is limited. One of the staff had trouble communicating with some Eurasians and ended up hogging the whole line. The selection of kimonos were segregated by the rental price that you have paid. It is best to have an idea of what you want to wear before entering, ie. The colour, floral or patterns or plain, etc. We went in and out in 10 mins while the other customers were struggling to decide. Some customers comes as a family and with kids crying and running around the small space while the adults are fighting for kimonos, it can get very chaotic. It gets more and more crowded by the minute here and the staff can get very rude. Oh, and i got scolded pretty bad for choosing a male slipper as it is wider and more comfortable....