If you thought kids in kimonos were already pretty cute, one Japanese photo studio is taking the cuteness level up a notch by adding rentable Pokémon-themed kimonos and photoshoots to their menu.

Studio Alice is a photo studio with branches all over Japan, and their main specialty lies in holding photoshoot sessions for kids as a way to celebrate their milestones. Their photoshoot menu includes rites of passage that are commonly celebrated by Japanese children, such as the first day of school and Shichi-Go-San — the latter of which is the one that’s getting a Pokémon theme.

Shichi-Go-San is a yearly tradition observed every 15th of November in Japan. The name literally translates to “Seven-Five-Three”; it refers to the ages of the kids who are included in this rite of passage. These odd numbers are considered lucky numbers in Japan, and when Japanese children reach those ages, they get dressed up in kimonos and are brought to shrines to celebrate their growth & good health.

For Studio Alice’s Pokémon-themed Shichi-Go-San celebration, you can choose from four different kimono designs, each one depicting a unique set of Pokémon. You can see which ones appear in each kimono in the picture below. The first two are for 3-year-old and 7-year-old girls, and the remaining two are both for 5-year-old boys.

Studio Alice is also launching another Pokémon-themed photoshoot, but this one is aimed towards parents who want to see their babies in an adorable Pikachu attire. You can choose from three different backgrounds for the photos, shown below.

The Pikachu baby photoshoot services are set to be introduced in Studio Alice branches across Japan from April 19, 2021. Reservations to rent the Pokémon kimonos for use outside of the studio start from April 20, 2021, however, the kimonos can only be taken out from September 11, 2021. The Pokémon-themed Shichi-Go-San photoshoots start on August 1, 2021. For more information, you can visit Studio Alice’s Japanese website.


By - Jen Laforteza.