A Kimono Day for the Whole Family: How to Do It With Kids Without the Stress
With a family, how comfortable the day is comes down to how you work through everyone’s preparation. Here is the practical advice from behind the counter.
Dress the children last
Adults first, children last. That is the rule. Dress them first and the outfit comes apart while they wait. The HANAYAKA family keepsake photo plan (¥44,000 tax included) covers a Shichi-Go-San kimono for the child, komon for the mother and haori for the father, plus an hour with a professional photographer.
Prams and luggage
We can store them at the shop. A baby carrier works alongside the kimono if it is a type that can go over the top. For a baby’s keepsake there is also the newborn photo shoot in our in-store studio (¥45,000) and the 100-day celebration photo plan (¥55,000). Put any questions in the notes field of the online booking.
How to get a family photo where everyone is looking at the camera
The hardest part of a family photo is creating the moment when everybody looks at the camera at once. Professionals solve it three ways: 1) call the child’s name rather than counting down, 2) shoot in burst mode and have people walk, 3) get the group shot done in the first ten minutes, before anyone tires. You can copy all three when shooting yourself.
Three generations: the order of play
When grandparents come along, the order of dressing matters. Go grandparents, then parents, then children, with tea in the shop during the waiting. Groups of three or more qualify for 15% off, so the more of you there are, the less it costs per person. The family keepsake shoot (¥44,000) gets used for all kinds of family milestones: Shichi-Go-San, 60th birthdays, retirements.
Planning a realistic route with children
Reckon on children having a third of an adult’s stamina. What we recommend is a route with a break built in: shop, Sensoji (5 minutes on foot), snacks along Nakamise, back to the shop to rest, then Sumida Park. We can store the pram at the shop, so you can switch between it and a carrier as you like.
Frequently asked questions
- Q. Can grandparents rent with us?
- Yes. For three-generation bookings, put the number of people in the notes field. Groups of three or more get 15% off.
- Q. What if my child gets the kimono dirty?
- Ordinary food and drink marks are nothing to worry about. Return it as it is, no cleaning needed.
- Q. Is there space for feeding or nappy changes?
- Ask us in the shop. We can also point you to baby rooms in nearby shopping centres.
- Q. What if my child refuses to wear the kimono?
- We never force it. They can be in the family photo in their own clothes, or change partway through. We work around it.
- Q. Can you store luggage for the whole family?
- We take everything, suitcases included. Go and walk around empty-handed.
Book here