Family photoshoot

Who it suits. This is for families on holiday with children of any age, from babies in carriers to teenagers who would rather not be photographed, and for grandparents travelling with them. The 30 minutes are planned around the children: a place they will enjoy, a time that fits naps and meals, and a route with no long stairs if you bring a pushchair.

How the session runs. Children photograph best while doing something, not while standing still. We take a couple of whole-family frames first, while everyone is fresh, then let the children lead — running ahead with a parent in pursuit, a piggyback, a deer bowing for a cracker, a snowball. Breaks for snacks, water or a nappy change come out of the session without fuss.

Tokyo and Osaka. In Tokyo, Marunouchi is flat and open, joined by one straight avenue from the red-brick station to the palace gardens; book between 8 and 10 am on a weekday, when the gardens are nearly empty. Families staying near Ginza or Shiodome can use Hamarikyu instead, which opens at 9. In Osaka, choose Osaka Castle Park over Dotonbori: Nishinomaru Garden is a fenced lawn with the keep behind, opening at 9:00 and closed on most Mondays, and Tanimachi 4-chome Station has a lift to street level.

Kyoto, Nara and Miyajima. Arashiyama turns jet-lagged early mornings into an advantage: the bamboo grove is empty at seven and flat enough for a pushchair, and the Katsura riverbank ten minutes away has room to run. In Nara the deer are calmest before about 9:30. Fawns are born from May to July, and mothers in June will charge anyone between them and a fawn; the September to November rut makes stags short-tempered. On Miyajima feeding is banned, so deer wander through the background instead of crowding the children.

Hokkaido and Okinawa. Hokkaido means snow you can roll in, in Sapporo’s Odori Park in winter — avoid Snow Festival week in early February, when the park is packed and pushchairs are impractical — or the flower fields at Farm Tomita in July, starting by 8:00 before the coaches. In Okinawa we come to the beach by your resort late in the afternoon, since midday heat wilts small children and box jellyfish are present from June to September; the netted swimming area becomes the playground.

Trains and timing. Tokyo trains are packed from about 7:30 to 9:30 am on weekdays, which is hard with a pushchair, so a start after the rush or a late-afternoon slot is easier. Most large stations have lifts, but often at one end of the platform, so we choose the meeting exit accordingly.

What to wear. Coordinated, not identical, colours look best on a family; bring a spare top for the youngest, because a deer, a puddle or an ice cream can end an outfit early. Shoes the children can run in matter more than smart ones.

Shrines in November. Shichi-go-san, when Japanese families bring children aged three, five and seven to be blessed, falls on 15 November and fills shrines on the surrounding weekends. It makes a lively background, but other families and their children are never photographed without consent.

What is included. You receive 15 edited photos in a private online gallery within 3 days. The price covers the shoot, editing and travel within the city booked; an extra hour is $150. For kimono for the whole family, the family kimono photoshoot is planned around dressing at a rental shop.