Complete Guide to 3 Kyoto Tayū & Ōiran Experience Shops – Dress in a Dazzling Uchikake and Explore the Kyoto Hanamachi Culture

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主筆兼站長 at 煙雲漫筆

熱愛書寫與拍攝的旅人，在旅行與和菓子的甜中尋找生活的靜好片刻。

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I once wrote a review of the illustrated book Yoshiwara Hanamachi and thought some readers might be interested in trying an oiran makeover. What I mean here is the appearance of historical tayū and oiran, although modern aesthetics differ from the past. Most people today look for something glamorous and extravagant in photos, and as a result almost every online search for oiran makeover leads to images with exposed chests and backs, heavy makeup, and floral backgrounds. I never really understood why the setting must be filled with flowers. These images have little to do with the real appearance of a tayū or an oiran. I have even seen studios use a bingata obi for an oiran makeover, which left me stunned. What was meant to resemble an oiran ended up looking like a common courtesan. Makeovers like that completely fail to convey the dignity and brilliance of a woman celebrated for both talent and beauty.

To help readers who are genuinely interested in the authentic style, I decided to share several studios whose costumes follow historical references more closely. I hope this gives those who want a traditional makeover a clearer direction. When you search online, the results on the first few pages are almost always the modern, revealing type, not the true look of a tayū or an oiran from the Edo period. Their presence was rare and extraordinary, standing above all others in the pleasure quarter. If you rely on Chinese search results, you may have to scroll very far before seeing a makeover that resembles the historical style at all. When I was searching, even the fourth and fifth pages had almost nothing that matched the real appearance.

Originally, this list of studios was just an extension of my review of the Yoshiwara Hanamachi book, but I kept writing more and more. To help readers compare the studios at a glance, I embedded examples from their Instagram accounts. The article eventually grew beyond ten thousand words and became difficult to read because of its length. After thinking about it for a while, I decided to separate the studio list into its own standalone article. This makes the information easier to read and also helps direct readers to the content that matches their needs.

Since I usually follow news and updates from Kyoto, the studios included here are mostly based in Kyoto. I have not been watching developments in other regions as closely, but I will add more when I come across reliable information.

Tayū Makeover Experience – Hanasugata

The tayū makeover at Hanasugata is based on the style of the Shimabara Tayū. Their obi is tied in a heart shape, which is completely different from the long, trailing obi worn by an oiran. This difference has become one of the clearer ways to distinguish a tayū from an oiran in the information available online today. In the Instagram posts below, you can see the large heart-shaped obi worn by the model.

Hanasugata has around forty uchikake robes. I am not sure whether this number is considered large among makeover studios of this type, but personally it feels like quite a lot. What matters most is whether you find something you like, since you can only wear one or two pieces in a session and cannot try everything. They are very considerate and have photographed every uchikake and uploaded them to their website for customers to look through. Each robe is also labeled as suitable for indoor or outdoor use. In my opinion, the outdoor styles are a bit more subdued compared with the indoor ones, so if you prefer something more ornate, indoor photography may be the better choice.

One of the main features of Hanasugata is the wide range of tayū hairstyles they offer. Most studios usually use the Date Hyōgo style, also known as date hyōgo or tachihyōgo, and the other two studios I will introduce mainly use this style as well. Hanasugata, however, provides many more options. In addition to Date Hyōgo, they also offer styles such as Kinshō-jo Mage, Genroku Shimada Mage, Yoshino Mage, Sakkō, and Ofuku Mage. These styles are generally expensive to produce, and offering such a large selection shows how much the studio has invested in their craft. When I first saw the list, it was almost overwhelming.

Their overall styling is almost identical to the tayū of Ichiwa-ya today. The video below shows Tayū Kikukawa of Ichiwa-ya appearing at an event. Her obi is tied in a heart shape, and her hairstyle is the Genroku Shimada Mage mentioned above.

The indoor setting imitates the warm, dim lighting used in the past when entertaining guests at night. Together with the golden folding screens and other props, it creates a decadent atmosphere that the other two studios cannot match. The indoor scenes have a vivid and luxurious feel, but their photos taken in natural daylight show a different side of the tayū. Whether it is the corridor scene shown below or shots taken together with modern clothing, the photographer has a good eye for angles, and the results are very impressive.

Related Experience Articles (Japanese)

• Tayū Experience at Hanasugata
• Authentic Tayū Experience at Hanasugata in Kyoto Shimabara: “Today I Am a Graceful Tayū.”
• April 2018: Transforming into a Shimabara Tayū at Hanasugata in Kyoto Shimabara (Kyoto Solo Walk 2)

Tayū and Oiran Experience – Jidai Ishō Henshin Studio

The oiran makeover at Jidai Ishō Henshin Studio reflects the standard image of an oiran. The hairstyle features the tall Date Hyōgo style, and the heavy obi hangs down the front. The outfit is fully covered, showing only a small amount of skin.

There is also a video showing the full process of their oiran makeover. It gives a look at the studio interior and the steps of the experience, which can be helpful when deciding whether to visit.

For the tayū styles, the studio offers two options. One is the Shimabara Tayū style with the heart-shaped obi, similar to the style at Hanasugata. This version is offered only as a limited experience, and in my opinion it is not as complete or as close to the real Shimabara Tayū as the one at Hanasugata. The regular option is the Yoshino Tayū experience. Since Japan has a long tradition of inheriting stage and professional names, it is said that the name Yoshino Tayū was passed down through ten generations. The second Yoshino Tayū, who lived around the seventeenth century, is the most widely known. Her appearance was different from the present-day image of a tayū. You can refer to the television drama Sanada Maru, where actress Arisa Nakajima appears as Yoshino Tayū. The hairstyle shown in the drama is very close to the style used at Jidai Ishō Henshin Studio. So although the studio does offer a tayū makeover, their regular Yoshino Tayū style is still different from the Shimabara Tayū.

In addition to their tayū and oiran makeovers, the studio offers many other historical styles. These include Ōoku costumes, shirabyōshi, princess attire, Nara period court dress, lord costumes, and kamishimo samurai outfits. These styles are fun to try with friends, since you can create interesting cross-era group photos. The studio also releases limited edition costume experiences from time to time, and the announcements are posted on their official website. If your visit is still some time away, it may be helpful to ask in advance whether any limited styles will be available during your preferred date. While browsing their Instagram, I found several rare costumes as well, such as Mogu Shōzoku, Kyōhō-bina, and the Tomoe Gozen costume.

Although the studio offers a wide variety of costume experiences, one drawback is that almost all photos must be taken indoors. Because of this, the final images tend to look refined and polished, but they lack a bit of natural spontaneity. Whether this is acceptable depends on personal preference, but choosing this studio essentially means choosing between these two qualities. While looking through reviews, I found that some Japanese guests have visited more than five times, wearing different outfits each visit. The fact that a simple, fixed background can attract such a high rate of return visits suggests that the studio clearly has its own charm.

Oiran Experience – Toei Kyoto Studio Park

Toei Kyoto Studio Park is one of Kyoto’s well-known tourist attractions. It is similar to a film set theme park, like a studio backlot, but the range of things you can do there is much wider. The park includes Edo and Meiji period street scenes, samurai residences, a Yoshiwara pleasure quarter set, and many other historical backdrops. If you are lucky, you might even see a film crew shooting on location. The park also contains several themed facilities, and the one we are focusing on here is the Costume House for Period Drama, which offers the oiran makeover experience.

The oiran makeover is similar to the style offered at Jidai Ishō Henshin Studio, featuring the tall Date Hyōgo hairstyle and the long front-hanging obi. The main difference is that at Toei Kyoto Studio Park, the oiran can actually walk outdoors instead of being confined to indoor sets. Since the entire park is built with historical scenery, the photos have a very distinctive atmosphere. For example, the third image shown below on Instagram was taken on the second floor of one of the sets, giving it a unique charm. The second image was taken under blooming cherry blossoms, which is something you rarely encounter in outdoor makeover studios. It evokes the feeling of the oiran dōchū beneath the cherry blossoms of Nakanomachi in old Yoshiwara.

In addition to the oiran makeover, the Costume House for Period Drama also offers a wide selection of historical outfits for visitors. You can enjoy group experiences with friends, and among their options, the ones that interest me the most are the townswoman style, the buke naigi style, and the Yaoya Oshichi costume, all of which are strongly associated with the Edo period and rarely seen elsewhere. For men, the popular choices tend to be characters who carry swords, such as members of the Shinsengumi, rōnin, ninja, or dōshin. With the park’s historical sets as the backdrop, and especially if you visit during the cherry blossom season, your phone’s storage may be half full by the time you leave.

Related Experience Articles (Japanese)

• Experience Something Out of the Ordinary: Period Costumes and Kimono Rentals in Kyoto

Conclusion – A Reference List for Another Option

This list is meant for readers who want a makeover that reflects the traditional appearance of a tayū or an oiran. I was not particularly interested in this topic at first. I simply found the costumes beautiful and eye-catching. It was only after reading the book Yoshiwara Hanamachi Ura Zukai that I began to see oiran in a different light and to recognize the strength and spirit behind their brilliantly ornate attire. That was why I originally placed this list at the end of my review of the book. But the article became too long, so I decided to separate it into its own piece, which also makes it easier to meet different readers’ needs.

I also hope this list helps bring more visitors to the studios that remain committed to traditional styles. These costumes and hair ornaments are expensive to produce, and the more people use them, the more sustainable it becomes for the studios to maintain and update their collections. It also supports the craftsmen who create these traditional items by giving them steady orders. In this way, it forms a positive cycle. Every purchase is a choice, and those who love Japanese culture can support these studios through the experience itself. In the past, whether tayū or oiran, their clothing was something ordinary people could not wear even if they had money. Today, being able to experience it simply by paying for the makeover is a rare and special opportunity.

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