PhotoTokyo · Tokyo Metropolis

Family photoshoot in Tokyo

In short

A family photoshoot in Tokyo costs $220 for 30 minutes and 15 edited photos, delivered within 3 days. We plan a short route without long stairs — usually the Tokyo Station plaza and Gyoko-dori, or Hamarikyu — with time for a snack. Mornings suit young children best, and the shoot ends before anyone runs out of patience; the palace gardens can be added with an extra hour.

Starting from: $220
Duration: 30 min
Edited photos: 15

Why here

Why choose Family photoshoot in Tokyo?

With children, the best Tokyo location is the one you can reach without a transfer and walk without stairs. Marunouchi fits: the red-brick Tokyo Station, the wide granite plaza and the palace gardens are flat, open and joined by one straight avenue, and most central hotels are a few stops away. For families staying near Shiodome or Ginza, Hamarikyu is the alternative — a former shogunal garden where toddlers can run on the lawns between the pines.

How the shoot is planned

How a session in Tokyo is planned

The route

The Marunouchi version starts on the station plaza for a whole-family frame with both domes behind. Then down Gyoko-dori, its paved central walkway ideal for a child running ahead with a parent in pursuit — and that is the 30 minutes. With an extra hour we carry on to Kokyo Gaien, keeping to the paved paths — the gravel is hard going with a pushchair — and take the pine-dotted lawn edges for sitting frames. If the children are still going, the KITTE rooftop garden on the 6th floor overlooks the Shinkansen tracks, which tends to hold a small child’s attention for as long as we need.

The timing

Book between 8 and 10 am on a weekday, when the palace gardens are almost empty and children are at their freshest. Hamarikyu opens at 9. In July and August, finish by 9:30 — the plaza heats quickly and there is little shade. Spring and autumn are easiest: late March to early April for cherries along the moat, mid-November onwards for the ginkgo on Gyoko-dori. Winter mornings are clear and bright; bring gloves for small hands.

What’s included

What Family photoshoot in Tokyo includes

In the package

15 edited photos
A route with no long stairs if you bring a pushchair
Time for a snack break inside the 30 minutes
Private online gallery within 3 days

Fees and permits on the route

Hamarikyu Gardens: ¥300 entry; tripods and commercial shoots need prior application to the garden office

Book online

Inspiration

Family photoshoot: ideas for your shoot

Frames by photographers on Unsplash, credited below — the mood to plan your own shoot against, not our portfolio.

Photos: Philip White, Stefan Vibes, Anshul Gurjar, Jennifer Kalenberg, XS Xue on Unsplash

Before you book

FAQ — Family photoshoot in Tokyo

How much is a family photoshoot in Tokyo, and are there extra fees?

$220 for 30 minutes and 15 edited photos, with travel inside central Tokyo included. The only fee you might pay on the day is garden entry: Hamarikyu is ¥300 for adults, and younger children enter free. An extra hour is $150 if you want to add a second area.

Our children are one and four. Will they manage 30 minutes?

Usually, because the time is not spent posing. We take the posed family frame in the first five minutes while everyone is fresh, then follow the children — running, sitting, eating a snack. Nap times matter more than the location, so tell us when they sleep.

Can you meet us at our hotel?

Yes, anywhere in central Tokyo. If your hotel is in Marunouchi, Ginza or Shiodome, we usually walk from the lobby to the first location, which spares you a train with a pushchair. ZH-speaking families can arrange everything with us on WeChat.

Same shoot elsewhere