Tayu Photo Experience

Tayu Photo Experience in Gion, Kyoto

A dignified photo experience inspired by the classical beauty of Kyoto Shimabara.

¥26,950tax incl. / about 3 hrs

Dressing
White makeup
Half-wig (Yoshino-mage)
Pro shoot
Retouched data

Since 2008 · 1 min from Gion-Shijo · The highest rank of Shimabara

About

The highest rank of Shimabara

Attire that lifts your bearing.

The tayu held the highest rank in Kyoto’s Shimabara — celebrated not only for beauty, but as a cultured figure versed in waka poetry, calligraphy, tea and incense. The skin is smoothed with white makeup, the hair set in a half-wig (Yoshino-mage), and an uchikake robe layered over the kakeshita underrobe. With each layer of dress, your bearing naturally grows more composed. In the soft light through the shoji and the glow of an andon lantern, we capture that very presence in a single frame.

Plan

The Tayu Experience plan

Dressing, makeup, the photo shoot and retouched data — everything is included.

From Aug 17

Tayu Experience太夫体験

¥26,950(tax incl.)

Pro shootapprox. 21 shots
Retouched data3 photos
Uchikake & kakeshita1 set
WigHalf-wig (Yoshino-mage)
MakeupWhite makeup
BoothTraditional tatami room
Durationapprox. 3 hrs

Dressing included. You can also take part with modern makeup (no white foundation) — just let us know when you book or when you arrive.

Book this plan

“Approx. X shots” is the number of photos taken — not the number delivered. What you take home is the number of retouched photos. If you’d like all of the shots taken, add the optional “All-shots JPEG data.”

Optional add-ons (extra fee)

Make it yours

Adornments and keepsakes, your way.

Adornments

Ohaguro (blackened teeth)

+¥2,200(tax incl.)

A blackened-teeth look worn by Edo-era women. The contrast with red lips leaves a striking impression in photos.

Nail tips

+¥550(tax incl.)

Glamour to your fingertips. No reservation needed — add on the day.

Extra shots

“Gold-leaf background” extra shot

+¥2,750(tax incl.)

Extra shots on a gold-leaf background. +1 retouched photo.

Photo data

+1 retouched JPEG: +¥1,650(tax incl.)
+4 retouched JPEGs: +¥5,500(tax incl.)
All-shots JPEG (originals, same day): ¥7,700(tax incl.)
1 RAW file: ¥3,300(tax incl.)
All RAW files (per plan): ¥15,400(tax incl.)

Prints & albums

Print of a retouched photo (1)

¥1,100(tax incl.)

We print your chosen retouched photo at cabinet size.

*If you’d like an album to hold your prints, the “Original mount album” fee applies separately.
*A shipping fee applies separately.

Original mount album

¥1,100(tax incl.)

We place your prints into a mount album for you.

*Available from 3 prints per plan. The fee is flat even if the prints are split across multiple albums.
*A shipping fee applies separately.

Gallery

Finished photos

See the finished photos.

See more in the Tayu gallery →

Important

Please read

Please read before you book.

The experience begins on Monday, August 17, 2026. We cannot accommodate dates before then.
Because a half-wig is used, your front and side hair must be long enough to blend in. Guests with very short hair cannot take part.
Guests with voluminous hairstyles such as braids or dreadlocks cannot take part, as the half-wig cannot be fitted over them.
As white makeup is applied, guests wearing hard contact lenses will need to remove them during the experience. Soft contact lenses may be kept in.
At present, this is a plan for one guest only. Groups are guided in turn.
Our costumes are one-of-a-kind and are replaced over time as they wear. The exact costume shown in a photo may not always be available; thank you for your understanding.
You may bring up to 3 of your own props. Please see the carry-on rules.
For commercial use, please see here.

About cancellations

For cancellations after booking, the following fees apply. We appreciate your understanding, as our staff prepare and reserve costumes in advance.

Cancellation the day before50% of the plan fee
Same-day / no-show100% of the plan fee

*If you’d like to change your date, we’ll do our best to accommodate — please let us know as early as possible.

Shimabara

A living culture

Tayu culture, still alive in Kyoto.

You may picture the tayu as a figure from history. Yet in Kyoto’s Shimabara, tayu culture lives on today. Traditions unique to Shimabara — the tayu-dochu procession and the kashi-no-shiki ceremony — are carried on into the present, not left in the past.

A tayu is far more than someone beautifully dressed. Accomplished in song and dance, tea ceremony, flower arrangement, waka and haikai, the tayu is a figure of true refinement — dignified and serene amid all the splendor.

Song & danceTea ceremonyFlower arrangementWakaHaikai

Tayu Column

The tayu, in a little more depth.

Read before your visit, and the meaning behind each layer of dress comes into view.

What Is a Tayu?

The History of the Tayu

The Learning of the Tayu

The Makeup of the Tayu

Tayu Culture Today

About Shimabara

Reservation

Book your photoshoot

Online booking is open 24 hours. Same-day requests are accepted until 17:00.

Check availability

10:00–20:00 (last reception 17:00) / 1 min from Gion-Shijo Station