Salon de Takarazuka

I found out something I was totally unaware of.

I wonder why I never paid attention to the Salon de Takarazuka section of the official website... it's really REALLY interesting!

This morning I decided to have a better look at the official page - I'm usually rather lazy and, since it requires an effort to properly read the contents, all I had ever done before today was just to flick through the pages. Besides, I usually just have a quick look at the goods page and rely on the Takawiki for info.

I'm glad I decided to make the effort to actually pay attention to the contents!

As I was saying, the Salon de Takarazuka section is extremely interesting.

When I saw the name, I wondered what it would be. The first thing that came into my mind was that it could be a coffee shop or "salon de thé" within the premises of the theater, or maybe some kind of chat room.

I was completely wrong.

The Salon de Takarazuka features a "Petit Museum": an exposition of stage costumes, props, photos and more (admission fee is 400 yen, roughly 4 euros).

Exciting as this might be (I will definitely go the next time I'm in Japan), it's still not the most exciting part.

At the Salon de Takarazuka you can actually get a couple of very unique services.

Stage Studio: in the Stage Studio you can try on Takarazuka style costumes and have your picture taken. The costume rental fee is 2625 yen (roughly 24 euros). The price of the printed photo varies depending on the type and size: 500 to 3675 yen (roughly 5 to 34 euros).

You can also choose to have a photomontage of you and your favourite top star made and printed out and/or made into a mobile phone strap. Prices go from 1050 to 1575 yen (roughly 10 to 14 euros).

Stage makeup service: my favourite! Ever wondered about what you would look like if you were a Takarazuka star? Well, you can find that out with a full Takarazuka makeover!

This service includes full Takarazuka style makeup, dressing in Takarazuka style costumes and a photo session.

It takes about 2 hours and an appointment is needed. Appointments can be made either through the internet, on the phone or on location. 

The price is rather high if compared to the Stage Studio, but I bet it's worth it: 11000 or 12000 yen (roughly 100 or 110 euros) depending on the size of the printed photo.

On the stage makeup service page of the website,  you will find the list of the different steps of a Takarazuka style makeup. Interesting, isn't it?

I would definitely love to try all of these things out.

I think I would pick an otokoyaku outfit, probably a Phantom one if available.

I guess that wearing a musumeyaku dress would also be awesome though... argh, this is a hard choice.

Maybe I could go twice?

What about you? Would you like to try it out? (^__~)