What Is an Oiran Experience? What’s Included, the Price, and How It Differs from an Ordinary Kimono

The oiran (high-ranking courtesan of the Edo period) experience is a completely different genre from ordinary kimono rental. The point is not sightseeing, it is transformation.

What the experience includes

HANAYAKA’s stylish oiran photo course (¥49,500, tax included) covers the oiran-style dressing that boldly exposes the shoulders and neckline, sultry makeup, modern oiran hair, and the shoot in our in-house studio. You get at least 100 images plus 10 retouched cuts.

How it differs from an ordinary rental

It is not suited to walking around outside the shop, because the costume and footwear are the real thing. In exchange, we finish it as a piece of work under studio lighting. Along with the lace kimono girls’ party plan (¥55,000 for two), it is one of our most popular out-of-the-ordinary courses. Other shooting courses are listed on the photo plans page.

How the day runs: a two-hour transformation

1. Consultation (10 minutes): share the look you want, screenshots are fine. 2. Choosing the costume (15 minutes): how much shoulder and neckline you show changes the impression a lot. 3. Oiran makeup (40 minutes): the process is nothing like everyday makeup. 4. Modern oiran hair (30 minutes). 5. Studio shoot (30-40 minutes): the photographer directs every pose, so zero modelling experience is fine.

The moment you see yourself in the mirror, most people say “who is that?” It is the reaction we hear most often on this course.

If you are worried it will be too much

How much skin you show and how heavy the makeup is can both be adjusted. “I don’t want my shoulders out.” “Keep the makeup a little lighter.” Tell us at the consultation. And if you want to go all the way, we will suggest going all the way without holding back.

For something a little calmer but still out of the ordinary, there is the lace kimono girls’ party photo plan (¥55,000 for two) or a classic commemorative shoot (¥35,000). Compare them on the photo plans page.

Coming with a friend or with your mother

Two or more people can do the oiran experience together (each pays the course price). Friends often book different courses on the same day, one in oiran and one in lace kimono, photographing each other. We also get several mother-and-daughter pairs a year. Marking a daughter’s coming of age with a day out of the ordinary together is a quietly popular use.