My husband and I are traveling to Japan for two weeks in July! One of the experiences I am most excited about is renting yukata in Kyoto. However, I am struggling to decide on the best time to do this.
We have four days in Kyoto. We will be traveling from Hakone to Kyoto and are planning a low-key first day because of that. Here is a bare bones version of our itinerary:
**Kyoto Day 1:** Train from Odawara to Kyoto in the morning, explore downtown, visit Fushimi Inari shrine at sunset.
**Kyoto Day 2:** Travel to Kibune to experience kawadoko dining and the Kifune shrine.
**Kyoto Day 3:** Arashiyama: Bamboo Grove, Monkey Park, explore Arashiyama area
**Kyoto Day 4:** Day Trip to Nara! We plan to spend the whole day there, then return to our hotel in Kyoto.
**My question is, which of these days would make the most sense to rent yukata?**
The first day seems tricky because we’re traveling to Kyoto, and I don’t want to stress about making an appointment when considering travel time from Hakone to Kyoto, even if we leave as early as possible.
For the second day, I am wondering how practical it would be to travel to Kibune in yukata. Thoughts? For reference, our hotel is right next to the Gion district.
For day three, almost everyone recommends visiting the bamboo grove as early as possible–way earlier than yukata rental places open. Seems like it doesn’t make sense, but maybe I’m missing something.
On day four we travel to Nara. Would it make more sense to rent Yukata in Nara instead of Kyoto?
I would appreciate any feedback, including anything I haven’t considered. Thank you!
5 comments
I had the same idea, but saw that buying Yukata is very affordable. $50-$60 and can be found anywhere. If renting cost $30+ hassle to return, why not just buy yukata yourself and move on.
I think Nara makes the most sense. You can rent there and just explore and take pics. If it’s not comfortable you can always return it and keep exploring Nara.
Second option would be day 1 and just renting it in the afternoon for a couple of hours.
I see day 2 as the only feasible day. It would also be nice to eat traditional Japanese food while dressed in Japanese garb.
Yukata is traditionally worn with wooden sandals which are not conducive to long distance walking at all, which is what all the days entail. You can sort of think of it as flip flops. For example, day 3 involves walking up a hill (monkey park), day 4 involves lots of walking in Nara Park, I would never do either of these in flip flops. And you are correct that the bamboo after 7:30ish is a terrible experience.
I rented from a place that had free next day return. They also have options to send your stuff back to your hotel and pick up their stuff next day for 1500 yen. Otherwise, return was 6:30 same day. Let me know if you want to know the place, I’ll PM you.
Takes about an hour to pick out your stuff and get all setup. So plan accordingly.
Defiantly get your hair done. The extra 500-1500 yen is worth it!
Make reservations!
Consider the weather. You might not want to get a really detailed, multilayered setup if it’s hot.
In July, make sure you pack LOTS of dryfit shirts/pants and potentially a 2nd pair of shoes if you get rained on. Japan’s rainy season will be in full swing as well as humdity 70-90% with temps in the upper 80’s F. I didn’t think much of Japan summer, but if your from Florida for instance, you’ll be right at home.
I spent the whole day in Nara as well from Osaka (similar distance from Kyoto) and walked SO MUCH. Depends on how much you want to walk with the Yukata. Nara is more spaced out than Kyoto so keep that in mind.