PhotoMiyajima · Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima Prefecture

Kimono photoshoot in Miyajima

In short

A kimono photoshoot on Miyajima costs $260 for 30 minutes, timed to high tide so the great torii stands in the sea. You receive 15 edited photos within 3 days. Island rental is very limited, so we recommend dressing in Hiroshima and riding the ferry in kimono; rental and dressing can be added at $55 per person.

Starting from: $260
Duration: 30 min
Edited photos: 15

Why here

Why choose Kimono photoshoot in Miyajima?

Kimono and wet sand do not mix well, so the kimono session on Miyajima is planned the other way round from the couple’s walk-out: around high tide, when the vermilion torii stands in open water and the shrine’s corridors appear to float. You stay on dry stone and gravel the whole time, and the backdrop is the island’s classic view rather than its low-tide one.

How the shoot is planned

How a session in Miyajima is planned

The route

We meet at the ferry pier on the island and start along the waterfront, where the stone lanterns line the shore and the torii floats beyond them — the widest frames of the session, with the sleeves and obi against grey-blue water. Next we stand at the shrine’s entrance for portraits with the corridors behind, shot from outside; inside the corridors tripods are banned and the walkways are narrow, so we keep it handheld and short if you go in. That is the base thirty minutes. With an extra hour, we climb the short lane from the shopping street to the five-storey pagoda for frames above the old roofs, and in November finish at Momijidani Park, where small vermilion bridges cross the stream under the maples.

The timing

The torii looks fully afloat when the tide table reads above roughly 250 cm; we choose a high tide that falls between late morning and sunset so you can dress in Hiroshima first, where shops open around 09:00. Mid to late November brings Momijidani’s maples, if you add the hour, and the island’s heaviest crowds. In summer, a cotton yukata replaces full kimono and Momijidani’s shade is the coolest part of the island. Avoid gusty days in winter: the waterfront is exposed, and sleeves and hair blow across the face.

What’s included

What Kimono photoshoot in Miyajima includes

In the package

15 edited photos
A short walk from the rental studio to one spot close by
Advice on a kimono colour that reads well against the season
Private online gallery within 3 days

Fees and permits on the route

Itsukushima Shrine corridors: About ¥300 per adult; no tripods
Mt Misen via the Miyajima Ropeway: Ropeway about ¥2,000 return; 20–30 minute walk to the summit
Five-storey pagoda and Senjokaku: Pagoda exterior free; Senjokaku hall a small fee

Book online

Inspiration

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: Beth Macdonald, Maria Cassagne, EMANUELE Ricciardi, H Liu, Launde Morel on Unsplash

Before you book

FAQ — Kimono photoshoot in Miyajima

Where do we change into kimono for Miyajima?

Usually at a rental shop near Hiroshima Station or Hondori, then about an hour by JR and ferry. The one or two shops by the island pier have little stock. If you stay overnight on the island, some ryokan can arrange dressing; we check when you book.

Can we walk out to the torii in kimono at low tide?

It can be done with care — we bring a towel and slip-on sandals, and you lift the hem rather than kneel — but rental shops charge for mud on the hem, so we plan kimono around high tide by default.

How much does the Miyajima kimono shoot cost?

$260 for 30 minutes and 15 edited photos in 3 days; the pagoda and Momijidani are an extra hour at $150. Add $55 per person if we book the kimono. On the day you pay the ferry, the ¥100 visitor tax and, if you go inside, the shrine’s entry of about ¥300.

Same shoot elsewhere