PhotoKyoto · Kyoto Prefecture

Family kimono photoshoot in Kyoto

In short

A family kimono photoshoot in Kyoto takes 30 minutes after dressing, usually in the Nanzen-ji grounds; an extra hour ($150) adds the southern end of the Philosopher’s Path. It costs from $300 for 15 edited photos within 3 days. Kimono rental with dressing is $55 per person, and children’s sizes are available at the shops we use.

Starting from: $300
Duration: 30 min
Edited photos: 15

Why here

Why choose Family kimono photoshoot in Kyoto?

Dressing a whole family in kimono takes time — about 20 to 30 minutes per adult and less for small children — and the shoot has to fit around that, not around a dawn. That rules out the steep stone lanes of Higashiyama and favours the Nanzen-ji area: a temple precinct with free grounds, a brick aqueduct and a canal path that is flat from end to end.

How the shoot is planned

How a session in Kyoto is planned

The route

Dressing starts at the shop’s opening, and a short taxi ride brings you to Nanzen-ji’s great Sanmon gate, where the whole family fits on the steps for the group portrait. Next is the Suirokaku, the Meiji-era brick aqueduct inside the grounds, whose arches frame small children well. With an extra hour, we then walk north on the Philosopher’s Path from the Nanzen-ji end, the quieter one, for walking frames by the canal and a break for the children, finishing at a bridge chosen for the light rather than one leading to a private house.

The timing

Most shops dress from 9 am, so the session usually runs from about 9:45 to 10:15; a shop with early dressing can move it an hour earlier. Weekdays outside the blossom and maple weeks are easy here. Late March to early April puts cherries over the canal, and mid-November to early December colours the maples around Nanzen-ji, when the path is busier. Around 15 November, Japanese families visit shrines in kimono for Shichi-go-san, the children’s festival — a nice moment to be in kimono yourselves.

What’s included

What Family kimono photoshoot in Kyoto includes

In the package

15 edited photos
A studio with children’s sizes, near the route
A short walking route with breaks
Private online gallery within 3 days

Fees and permits on the route

Kiyomizu-dera: About ¥500; opens at 6 am. No tripods; pre-wedding shoots need the temple’s prior approval
Kinkaku-ji: ¥500; 9 am–5 pm. One-way route, no tripods, no stopping on the path for long
Tofuku-ji: Tsutenkyo bridge and Kaisando about ¥1,000 in autumn. Photography is banned on the bridge itself during the November peak; shoot from Gaun-kyo bridge instead

Book online

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

Before you book

FAQ — Family kimono photoshoot in Kyoto

How much is a family kimono photoshoot in Kyoto?

From $300 for 30 minutes and 15 edited photos within 3 days. Kimono rental with dressing is $55 per person, and hair and makeup for adults $100. The Nanzen-ji grounds and the aqueduct are free.

Can toddlers wear kimono comfortably?

Children’s kimono are lighter and tied more loosely than adult ones. If a toddler has had enough, we photograph the family with the child in a parent’s arms — kimono or not — and keep going.

Can we bring a pushchair?

Yes. The Philosopher’s Path and the Nanzen-ji grounds are flat. Only the steps of the Sanmon gate need the pushchair parked for a few minutes.

Same shoot elsewhere