Kimono Rental VASARA Osaka Umeda Store — Local services in Osaka

Greetings from USA! My brother and I visited last-minute when we were waiting for our flight home. We were fortunate to have an English speaker from the store, as she helped us translate and navigate places to take photos for. Most of the staff can speak basic English as well and were accommodating, which we were very grateful for.

Although we were walk-ins, we suggest making reservations as you can save more money as far as basic kimono rentals. We visited around mid-November so it wasn’t too busy but they stated they usually get busy during festival seasons or spring and summer. So keep this in mind! We also visited the Osaka location, which accepted major credit cards, but we suggest having enough cash so it will be an easier transaction. This store was accommodating to foreigners as I saw mostly foreigners at the time of our visit. Some locations may vary.

You can rent the kimonos for the whole day and be back before closing time. For our case, we were able to take photos in a shrine and walk around the city for a few hours or so before coming back. They were comfortable but the traditional foot wear is kind of slippery so if you’re a quick walker, I’d consider bringing extra shoes just in case. It was a bit cold on our visit so if you get cold easily, wear an extra layer. The kimono itself was warm so I don’t think it will be an issue. Mobility was great, but you might consider having light snacks only as heavy meals might be a hassle with the long sleeves and sitting with tight obi knot for the women’s kimonos.

They have options to browse based on style and price. I got a basic set that comes with shoes and a bag. You can choose to have embellishments and accessories for an extra cost, which in my case I chose an accessory belt. They also have the same idea for hairstyles that they do, which cost extra depending on what you want to get done. I just chose the basic hair with accessory so it didn’t cost extra. I believe my brother got a retro set which was a bit more expensive and didn’t get any accessories with it. I don’t believe they don’t do make up there so if you wanna go all out, wear make up before coming. Over all, we paid around ¥18,000 (~$112) for both rentals.

Great way to experience the culture. We appreciate the hospitality and will...

Me and my friend came to try on kimonos!! We booked the student plan because we are both studying in universities in Japan and so the plan applies to us too :) We ended up going with lace kimonos (we originally were set on doing traditional ones but once we tried on the lace ones, we fell in loveeee. We also got charged more because we ended up upgrading our plan so be ready with extra cash in case you go in and see something you really like. I’m not one to spend money easily and yet I decided that if I was going to wear the kimono all day, I best enjoy it 100/10 and so decided to go with a more elaborate obi and extra decoration on my collar. My friend did the same :) One of the staff even recommended a cafe we could go have breakfast in that was very cute and we took a few pictures there :) We had a great time honestly. It was such a shame it was raining on the day we went and so we couldn’t take sunny pics and also the fact that Sakura bloomed late this year so we stuck to pictures with plum trees (to be fair, loads of people think they’re Sakura). My friend has really short, thin hair so she was quite nervous about what they’d do for her, but she was happy to see they had really pretty styles and managed to make her hair look so pretty! She also was surprised that even with the rain, her hair stayed in place! They let her use the straightener and curler when she decided she wanted to do her fringe a bit different too so she was very happy. I also loved my hair style and they even edited it slightly so it could be to the side instead of back and I honestly loved it (also lasted all day!). When it was time to return it, it was quick and easy and the staff were all...

The staff were so unbelievably kind and wonderful to my friend and I. My friend was able to speak in Japanese with them, and I am not a Japanese speaker, but they frequently used simple phrases and sheets with English so I could be present with them. I really loved getting to choose our looks with the staff, and it seemed like they had as much fun as we did choosing different textures and making color combinations I didn’t think I would usually gravitate toward. I loved that they had a piece that matched my eyes perfectly! The store is very hard to find as a foreigner and ambulatory wheelchair user not familiar with the various malls in the area. I recommend going from above ground into the E-Ma mall and using the elevators down instead of trying to get there from the station connected to it fairly nearby. I’m so happy we could meet them and experience the way they...