Family kimono photoshoot
The whole family in kimono, starting from a rental shop with children’s sizes and walking to a shrine approach or temple lane close by. Dressing is timed before the session; rental is per person and separate.
- Starting from
- $300
- Duration
- 30 min
- You receive
- 15 edited photos
- Delivery
- within 3 days
Family photoshoots
What’s included
- 15 edited photos
- A studio with children’s sizes, near the route
- A short walking route with breaks
- Private online gallery within 3 days
Add to the booking
Bought with this shoot, never on their own. Fixed prices in US dollars.
Kimono rental & dressing
+$55
Hair & make-up artist
+$100
Extra hour
+$150
Reel add-on
+$120
Drone add-on
+$235
Express 24 h delivery
+$80
Mandarin-speaking assistant
+$70
Inspiration
Family kimono photoshoot: ideas for your shoot
Frames by photographers on Unsplash, credited below — the mood to plan your own shoot against, not our portfolio.
Photos: Damian Hutter, ERIC MIYAGI, EMANUELE Ricciardi, Svetlana Gumerova, Haewon Oh on Unsplash
Where to book it
Book Family kimono photoshoot where you are staying
Bookable in 19 places across Japan; the 3 below have a page of their own. Choose the one nearest your hotel — travel within it is included.
Plan around the place
Family kimono photoshoot: where it works best, and what to read first
Place guides
About this shoot
Dressing a family takes longer than the shoot
- Starting from
- $300
- Duration
- 30 min
- Edited photos
- 15
- Places
- 19
The longest part of a family kimono day is getting dressed. A rental shop needs roughly 30 to 60 minutes per adult, less for children, and shops near Kiyomizu-dera and Gion in Kyoto or Asakusa in Tokyo get busy from about 10 am. For a family of four, book the first fitting slot and plan the 30-minute shoot to start straight after.
Kimono rental is not included in the session price. Our add-on is $55 per person including dressing, and most shops also have children's kimono and simple hakama for small boys. Very young children are easier in a lighter yukata-style outfit, and comfortable shoes in the bag save the walk between locations.
Kimono are usually returned the same day, often by 6 pm, so the shoot happens in daylight. In Kyoto the slopes of Ninenzaka and the Yasaka Pagoda are quiet before 8 am but rental shops are not yet open, which is why most kimono sessions run mid-morning. Around 15 November, Shichi-go-san fills shrines with Japanese families in kimono, which is festive but busy.
You receive 15 edited photos in a private online gallery within 3 days. The price covers the shoot, editing and travel within the city booked; temple entry fees and rental are separate. Hair and makeup for adults can be added for $100.
Before you book
Frequently asked questions: Family kimono photoshoot
From what age can children wear kimono?
Most studios dress children from about three. Younger ones can wear a simple jinbei or their own clothes in matching colours, which also saves a meltdown halfway through. Children dress in about 15 minutes, adults in 30 to 60.
Is November a good month?
Lovely, but busy: on the weekends around 15 November, shrines fill with Japanese families in kimono celebrating Shichi-go-san for children of three, five and seven. Book a weekday morning, and we never photograph other families’ children.
Next step
Plan your Family kimono photoshoot
We reply within 2 hours, 9:00–21:00 Japan time. No deposit required to enquire.