Japan has many wonderful places to visit. Among them, Kyoto has become the image of Japan in the eyes of many people. Therefore, many foreigners come to explore its beauty and get a feel of the “wa” in Japanese culture.

I first went to Kyoto on a trip with one of my university friends. Aside from the delicious food and wonderful places, one thing we wanted to try out was :

Turn into a Geisha or Oiran (花魁) at Studio Kokoro

Actually, before we went to Kyoto, one of our Japanese coworkers visited a week before and she showed us a picture with her in a courtesan (oiran) outfit with makeup on, hair done, wearing a beautiful kimono and simply looking gorgeous.

My friend and I were amazed to see how beautiful the pictures were so we decided that a visit to Studio 心 (Studio Kokoro/ Studio Heart) should be the first thing we do when we get there.

They have many options available and for the Oiran Plan, we could choose from Sakura Plan (11,000 yen), Himetsubaki Plan (14,000 yen) or Gekka Bijin Plan (22,000 yen). The Studio also has Maiko plans, Plans for Couples, for Men, Japanese Folklore Bridal Costume Plan, and also Kimono Plans.

The hair, makeup, photos are all done/ taken by professionals and at the end of the photoshoot, you are given an album and you can choose 3 photos ; if you want all or want to try out more options, such as A-4 print, Colored Eyelashes, Nail Tip Rental, etc. it will have an additional price.

We were still in university when we tried it out, so we decided on the cheapest plan, the Sakura Plan for one person, but they were kind enough to take a few pictures of the both of us at the end of our photoshoot.

Sometimes, they also have campaigns where you can choose from a wide variety of styles and as there are so many, I’m sure you’ll find something you like.

For us, we were first taken in the hair/makeup room and after being asked what kind of look we wanted to go for (it can be cute, sexy, gorgeous, etc.), we had to choose the type of kimono we wanted, then get our make-up and hair done, nails applied, followed by entering another room to put on the kimono.

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I need to warn you that it has so many layers and it will probably be heavier than you expect it to be, but you’ll look at yourself in the mirror and be left speechless after such an amazing head to toe transformation.

For me, I had short hair and they also said they have wigs, but the hairstylist suggested we should go with my natural hair and she magically turned it into a beautiful arrangement full with ornaments (I couldn’t even believe that I had short hair after she finished).

Everything looked gorgeous and it turned into an unforgettable memory of my time in Kyoto.

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You can see more details here.