YUKATA! Feel the Summer of Japan

I believe you have at least once seen the following scene in a Japanese drama or movie – lovely girls wearing YUKATA and going to a Matsuri (Japanese festival) or firework festivals. No wonder many people wish to wear YUKATA to have beautiful photos and make memories of their journey, and to also experience real Japanese culture. However, if you glance through the YUKATA section in Japanese magazines, the varieties of accessories and ways of putting them on might make it difficult to decide which one to get. Just for having a photo shoot while wearing a YUKATA, you might feel that it’s a bit too expensive and some might feel overwhelmed by trying put one on by themselves.

Especially for you, Life Takamatsu introduces a special shop in the downtown Takamatsu, providing YUKATA rentals along with assistance with putting them on. If you are planning a trip to Takamatsu this summer, why not spend a day wearing YUKATA and GETA (wooden sandals), carrying a lovely KINCHAKU (small bag), enjoy yourself with everyone watching the firework display and watch the Sanuki Takamatsu Festival dancing or just enjoy a walk in the park.

Simple and Convenient YUKATA Rental

The shop we would like to introduce to you is called Fukuya-Gofukuten, which located within Takamatsu Central Shopping Area in Marugame-machi in downtown Takamatsu. From Kotoden Kataharamachi station, it’s about a 10 minutes walk to get there. The shop provides rental services for YUKATA, OBI(belt), KINCHAKU, GETA and simple hair setting. There are a variety of patterns of YUKATA and OBI to choose from. You can also match your outfit with the KINCHAKU and GETA of your choice. It would be better to wear your own inner garments such as a knee-length one-piece, but you can still rent one from the shop if you did not have one.

You may choose patterns of YUKATA and OBI of your liking.

As for the rental fee, if you rent a whole set of YUKATA with the accessories, it will be only 5,000 yen. If you would like the teachers to assist you with putting it on, it will be an additional 1,500 yen and take around 30 minutes. You may also put on the YUKATA by yourself after joining the YUKATA seminar, which costs 2,000 yen and takes around 2 hours. The seminar is mainly taught in Japanese, so it is suggested to join only if you can understand Japanese.

Accessories such as KINCHAKU and GETA are also included in the rental service.

YUKATA rental services need an advance reservation by telephone, e-mail or Facebook inbox message. If you are worried about not being able to speak Japanese, we recommend to make a reservation by Facebook inbox. There are three teachers available to assist with putting on YUKATA, so one time class can serve a maximum of 6 people by reservation.

Experience the Authenticity of Japan by wearing YUKATA properly

According to the owner Miss Tanii Takako, who’s won various awards in Kimono competitions said there are increasingly more travelers in Takamatsu buying YUKATA in the shop. Customers mainly come from Asia, including Korea, China, Vietnam , Taiwan, etc. Last year, there were also Taiwanese travelers reserved the YUKATA seminar. Fukuya-Gofukuten provides options for customer to put on YUKATA by themselves, after renting the YUKATA but most traveler will choose the help from the teachers since they do not know the proper method of putting on YUKATA.

In fact, YUKATA are one-size fits all, teachers will adjust the length of YUKATA according to the different heights of each customer. So, if you would like to have the best fit, it is better leave it to the professionals. Miss Tanii also shares with us the common mistake which travelers usually feel confused by, that the left side of the YUKATA is wrapped over the right side (and reversely with right side wrapping over the left when dressing a body for a funeral).

The romance of Japan’s summer – incense, wind chimes, fireworks, what more can you ask for? YUKATA, the perfect match for summer, is waiting to make your journey fantastic!

INFORMATION

Fukuya-Gofukuten / ふくや呉服店

Kotoden Kataharamachi station by 10 minutes walking，Kotoden Takamatsu-Chikko station by 12 minutes walking

• Address：〒760-0029高松市丸亀町5-7
• Open Hour：9:00-18:00
• Closed：First and third Sunday, Second and fourth Monday.
• Fee：Yukata set rental – 5,000YEN、Yukata Assistance – 1,500YEN、Yukata Seminar – 2,000YEN
• Tel： +81-87-851-2179
• MAIL：tar-_-pooh@hotmail.co.jp
• FACEBOOK：http://www.facebook.com/Fukuya.gofukuten
• Wi-Fi：Available
• Language：Japanese
• Credit card：Visa、Master、JCB