Does kimono rental in Asakusa include hair and make-up?

Hair and make-up are the two things people ask about most before they book a kimono. The short version: basic hair styling comes with the rental price, and only elaborate hair and make-up are charged separately. Below is what we actually explain at the booking stage and at the counter.

Is hair styling part of the price?

Yes. The plan price covers the kimono, zori sandals, a matching bag and basic hair styling. This is not a “rent the kimono, sort the hair out yourself” set-up, and dressing is part of the price too.

What else the price covers is set out on its own page, so this one stays on hair and make-up.

What does elaborate hair styling add?

Elaborate hair styling is ¥1,700 per person and sits one step above the basic set. In most cases you can add it at the counter on the day you come in, rather than deciding weeks ahead.

Kimono rental has four possible add-ons in total: make-up, elaborate hair, an obi knot upgrade, and extending the return to the following day. Wanting a better hairstyle never pulls in a cost from outside that list of four.

Can you do my make-up too?

Yes, at ¥4,500 per person, but make-up is reserved in advance and cannot be added on the day. We also do not keep a self-service make-up area in store.

So of the two, hair is the one you can decide on arrival and make-up is not. Photo sessions work the same way — reserved in advance — which means a day you want proper photographs of is a day to settle both at the booking stage. If you prefer your own make-up, please arrive already made up and you can go straight into dressing.

What kind of hairstyle suits a kimono?

Start from the nape. A kimono is worn with the back collar pulled down slightly, so the line running from the neck into the back is the part people see first. Putting the hair up and leaving that line clear lets the collar and the horizontal line of the obi read as one shape.

The second idea is balance. A kimono adds thickness across the shoulders and chest, so volume placed at the back of the head, rather than on top, keeps the silhouette settled when you are seen from the side. A fringe is fine as it is: swept across or off the forehead changes the mood, and both suit a kimono.

What if my hair is short, long or fine?

All three work. Short hair and bobs do not need forcing into an updo — tidying the sides and the nape gives much the same effect, and building height with a hair ornament actually sits better on shorter hair.

Long hair can be pinned wherever you like, but worn loose it catches on the collar, the ends work themselves untidy, and in photographs everything below the neck reads as heavy. On a full day of walking, up is simply easier. Fine hair needs only one soft shape at the back of the head to change the whole impression.

When is it worth adding hair or make-up?

The dressier the set, the more the extras earn their place. Formal styles such as furisode and homongi only come together once the hair and the face match the kimono. A komon or a lace kimono for an afternoon around Nakamise, on the other hand, looks complete with the basic hair set alone.

The other test is photographs. On a day with an outdoor photo session booked, make-up visibly changes the finished images. At the booking stage there are only two things to tell us: whether you want make-up, and whether you are shooting. The reservation deposit confirms the booking — ¥1,000 for one to four guests — and same-day returns close at 17:00, so a morning slot leaves the most room on a day with both hair and make-up.