Renting a kimono in Asakusa is cheap, quick and slightly addictive: you walk in wearing jeans, spend about an hour being wrapped, tied and pinned, and walk out under Kaminarimon looking like the reason people bring cameras to Tokyo. A basic women's plan with dressing starts around ¥3,300 when booked online, men's plans are similar, and the kimono has to be back at the shop between 17:00 and 18:00 the same day. That deadline, more than the price, is what separates the shops.
The listings below are the best-reviewed Asakusa kimono rentals you can book online, with live prices and ratings:
Prices are the lowest option the platform shows, in US dollars, and move with dates and exchange rates. The booking page is final. Prices checked: September 28, 2026.
The shops compared
Asakusa has a lot of rental counters, many of them on upper floors of office buildings within a few minutes of Kaminarimon. These seven are the ones with the most stores or the most visible booking presence. Prices are the shops' own published prices, tax included, for a standard women's plan.
| Shop | Asakusa stores | Standard plan from | Hair | Return by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| wargo | 1 (4F, UNIQLO building) | ¥3,300 online, ¥4,400 in store | Included | 18:00 |
| VASARA | 3 | ¥3,278 (cheapest plan); One-Star kimono ¥5,478 | From ¥0 on some plans, else ¥550+ | 17:30 |
| Aiwafuku | 2 | ¥4,300 | Included | 16:30 or 17:30 |
| Hanaka | 1 (4F, Kaminarimon 2-chome) | ¥4,180 (¥3,800 + tax) | Casual set ¥1,100 | 18:00 |
| Rikawafuku | 1 (6F, near Kaminarimon) | ¥4,500 basic | Hair-set plan ¥6,500 | 17:30 |
| YAE | 1 (3F, Hanakawado) | ¥6,900 | Included | 17:30 |
| Kimono Miyabi | 3 | See the shop's site | Check when booking | 17:00 |
Two things jump out. First, the cheapest headline price is not always the cheapest outfit: Rikawafuku's ¥4,500 basic has no hair styling, while Aiwafuku's ¥4,300 includes it. Second, YAE is the priciest standard plan on the list but every women's plan there includes professional hair styling, which makes it closer to the others than the table suggests. We go through each shop, with a one-line verdict for each, in our Asakusa kimono shops review, and Hanaka gets its own page because it runs the kimono-plus-rickshaw package on GetYourGuide: Hanaka review.
What the price covers, and what it doesn't
A standard plan means you arrive with nothing. wargo puts it plainly: you don't need to bring anything. The kit is the kimono, the obi (sash), the undergarments and ties, a small bag and zori or geta sandals, plus the dressing itself. Where hair is included it is a simple up-do with an ornament; elaborate styles cost more everywhere. Hanaka, for example, charges ¥1,000 plus tax for a casual set and ¥3,000 plus tax for a formal or traditional Japanese style.
The extras that actually matter:
- Luggage. Free at Hanaka (valuables excepted), wargo and Aiwafuku. YAE charges ¥500 per suitcase or stroller; Rikawafuku charges from ¥1,000. If you are coming straight from Haneda or Narita with a big case, that difference adds up. Through trains from both airports reach Asakusa on the Toei Asakusa Line without a change.
- Damage cover. wargo sells a ¥330 "peace-of-mind" option. Worth it if you plan to eat anything with sauce.
- Upgrades. Lace and Taisho-roman retro kimono run about ¥5,800–6,500 at Aiwafuku; YAE's retro kimono is ¥8,900; homongi (semi-formal silk) at wargo starts at ¥5,500.
- Online versus walk-in. wargo's standard plan is ¥3,300 prepaid online against ¥4,400 in store. VASARA says walk-in prices are about ¥1,000–2,000 higher. Booking the night before is free money.
Dressing takes time. wargo quotes 45–90 minutes including choosing your fabric and obi, Aiwafuku 45–60 minutes. Choosing is the slow part: if a friend is deciding between forty floral prints, bring a book.
The return deadline decides your day
Every shop wants the kimono back the same afternoon, and late fees are real. Rikawafuku charges ¥1,000 per person per 10 minutes.
Two practical consequences. If you want Senso-ji's main hall open behind you, remember it closes at 17:00 (it opens at 06:00, or 06:30 from October to March), so a late start leaves you racing the hall and the shop at the same time. And if you want night photos under the lit-up gates, the temple is illuminated from sunset until about 23:00, long after every standard return time. Your options are Rikawafuku's extension to 22:00 for ¥2,000, or a next-day return: VASARA sells one for ¥2,200 (back by 17:30 the next day), wargo charges ¥1,100 to return by 15:00 the next day, and YAE (back by 15:00) and Aiwafuku (for yukata) offer next-day returns too. Our Asakusa at night guide covers what else is open after dark.
The festival exception: on Sumida River fireworks day in late July, Hanaka changes its return time and Rikawafuku raises its prices. Book well ahead for that date, or pick another day.
Sizes, men, children
Rental shops dress a wider range of bodies than most visitors expect, but the limits are real.
- Women. wargo's kimono fit about 150–175 cm; Hanaka stocks S, M, L and LL and says guests of 170 cm or more can rent but the kimono will be a little short. Aiwafuku says it keeps plenty of large sizes, and YAE and wargo list plus sizes.
- Men. wargo covers about 165–200 cm with sandals up to about 29.5 cm (3L); Rikawafuku goes M to 3L, up to 190 cm, with shoes to 29 cm and about 30 minutes of dressing. Men's plans: wargo from ¥3,300, YAE ¥6,600, VASARA ¥6,930.
- Children. VASARA's children's plans start at ¥1,100; YAE's kids' plan is ¥5,900; wargo takes children from 3 (about 90–130 cm); Kimono Miyabi charges ¥3,500 for a child's kimono when both parents rent. Our Asakusa with kids guide has the rest of a family day.
- Pregnancy. wargo says it cannot dress pregnant guests, and the Hanaka kimono-and-rickshaw package on GetYourGuide excludes them too. Ask the shop directly before booking.
Kimono or yukata
Yukata are the light, unlined cotton summer version, and in Asakusa they take over from roughly June to September: Hanaka's GetYourGuide package switches to yukata for those months, and most shops run separate yukata plans (VASARA's standard yukata is ¥3,630). They are cooler and quicker to put on, and in a Tokyo August that is not a small thing. Outside summer you get a lined kimono with more layers, which is warm enough for a sunny winter morning but not for a wet one. In spring and autumn you have a real choice; the choice of fabrics is bigger in kimono season.
Wearing it well
Nobody in Asakusa expects a visitor to know kimono rules, and the staff do the important part. A few things are still worth knowing:
- Left over right. The left front panel always wraps over the right. The shop will get it right; if anything comes loose and you re-tie it, keep it that way.
- Short steps. The kimono is narrow at the hem and zori sandals don't bend. Walk from the knee, take stairs slowly, and hold the sleeves when you reach for something.
- Eat standing still. Nakamise asks visitors to eat by the stall rather than while walking, which is also the best way to keep soy glaze off a rented obi. The snack guide is on our Asakusa food page.
- Inside the main hall. Photos are fine in the temple grounds, but not of the inner sanctuary; there are signs. Our Senso-ji guide explains the layout.
- Rain. Walking in the rain is possible, and VASARA and wargo both prepare for it, but hems soak up puddles, so plan a route with roofs.
Where to take the photos
The classic route is short and flat, which suits zori. Start under the red lantern at Kaminarimon, walk up Nakamise, turn through Hozomon and finish at the main hall. The five-story pagoda stands to your left as you walk from Hozomon to the main hall, and it is the backdrop half the photos in Asakusa are built around. For something quieter, try Denboin-dori, the shopping street that crosses Nakamise, and Asakusa Shrine sits just east of the main hall. If you still have time before the return deadline, the riverside in Sumida Park gives you Tokyo Skytree across the water.
Crowds are thinnest early. Most Nakamise shops open between about 09:00 and 10:00, so a 9:00 dressing slot at VASARA or Aiwafuku puts you on the street while the shutters are still coming up. Avoid the 18th of any month if you want empty frames: it is Kannon's fair day and the main hall is busy.
Kimono packages: rickshaw, tea and photographers
A rental is the cheapest way in, but most of the busiest Asakusa listings bundle something else with it.
Prices are the lowest option the platform shows, in US dollars, and move with dates and exchange rates. The booking page is final. Prices checked: September 28, 2026.
- Kimono plus rickshaw. Hanaka's package is well rated but has few reviews so far, and the rickshaw part is a 12-minute ride, not a tour. Longer rides can be arranged with the puller on the day at extra cost. If the rickshaw is the point, book a proper 30-minute ride separately; our Asakusa rickshaw guide explains the fares.
- Kimono plus tea ceremony. A good wet-weather plan, since most of it is indoors. Our tea ceremony and crafts guide compares the options, including MAIKOYA's tea house (see our MAIKOYA review).
- Kimono plus photographer. Worth it if you are two or more and tired of taking turns. A photo walk also means someone who knows which corners are empty at 10:00.
Booking: shop, GetYourGuide or Klook
Booking direct with the shop gets you the online discount, and the shops' websites are in English. Their cancellation rules are strict, though: wargo is free until two days before and charges 100% after that; Hanaka's own site is free until 18:00 the day before and charges for same-day cancellations. On GetYourGuide, the Hanaka package shows free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead, and many other listings do the same; check the listing, but this is usually the most flexible option if the forecast is shaky. Klook carries several Asakusa shops too, including wargo, YAE, Kimono Miyabi and Hanaka. Our GetYourGuide review and Klook review explain how each handles refunds.
Our advice: pick the shop by return time and location first, price second. A shop two minutes from Kaminarimon with an 18:00 deadline is worth a few hundred yen more than a cheaper one that sends you back at 16:30.