Studios where visitors can have themselves photographed in costumes of samurai warriors or high-ranking courtesans are becoming increasingly popular.
At Samurai Armor Photo Studio in Shibuya Ward, Tokyo, seven sets of yoroi kabuto (samurai armor and helmets) are prepared. The outfits were manually reproduced by highly skilled craftsmen based on ones that were used by samurai commanders around the Sengoku warring stats period (from the late 15th century to the late 16th century).
A customer at the studio has himself photographed before going out to the street. Picture: The Japan News-Yomiuri The armor and helmets are made with real metal, not plastic, and one set weighs about 20 kilograms (about 44 pounds). Visitors to the studio choose their favorite armor and helmets while listening to explanations in English about the historical background of the items. They change into suteteko traditional knee-length underwear and tabi split-toed socks.
Staff members help the visitors put on kosode short-sleeved kimono and flowing hakama trousers. The visitors also don other gear such as kote arm guards, suneate leg guards, do breastplates, katana swords and kabuto helmets. Shooting 170 photos in 10 different poses in the indoor studio takes about 1 1/2 hours.
Foreign visitors wearing samurai armor and helmets from Samurai Armor Photo Studio walk on a street in Shibuya Ward, Tokyo, on Dec. 21. They came to Japan on a four-day business trip for a tech start-up firm in Atlanta. Nipun Goel, 30, far right, said: "Amazing. Very unique way to experience Japan and [I'll] always remember what we were doing today, forever." Picture: The Japan News-Yomiuri Fees for the standard course that includes photographs start from 13,000 yen (about R1432.82) per person.
A two-hour course is also available, in which visitors go out on the streets and have themselves photographed outdoors. The photo studio was opened in May 2016 by a nearby firm that runs call center services. The company began the service as an in-house business venture to utilise vacant office space.
To start the business, studio manager Shimpei Takemura studied history and received training to help put on kimono and armor for about a year before the opening. Takemura said that the number of visitors who used the service this year was about double that of last year. Most of the customers are foreigners - from the United States, France, Italy and other countries - who learned of the studio's service on the internet, he said.
Minerva Wong, center, poses for photos clad in oiran attire with her husband, Joe, 37, at Henshin Shashinkan Studio Nanairo in Taito Ward, Tokyo, on Dec. 16. Picture: The Japan News-Yomiuri At Henshin Shashinkan Studio Nanairo, another such facility in Tokyo's Asakusa area, customers can have their photos taken while dressed as oiran high-ranking courtesans. After customers choose their favorite furisode long-sleeved kimono, it takes about an hour for the studio to apply makeup and style their hair in the gorgeously distinctive manner of an oiran.
The customers' hair is decorated with long kanzashi hair pins, traditional Japanese combs and many other hair accessories. Then they wear kimono and pose for photos on opulent sets. The photo studio was established in December 2014 by the Kyoritsu Maintenance group, which includes companies that manage and operate dormitories for students and company employees. The corporate group began the service as a new business utilizing the group's know-how.
Minerva and Joe Wong receive printed photos of themselves after wearing the costumes. Picture: The Japan News-Yomiuri Mie Ichikawa, the manager of the studio, said the number of users has been steadily rising. The number has doubled from that at the time of the opening. It also lets visitors wear geisha and other costumes, but most of them want to wear oiran costumes.