Snow photoshoot
Real snow, in the weeks it is reliable: Hokkaido from December to March, Kanazawa and Shirakawa-go in January and February. Planned around short days — the sun sets about 4 pm in Sapporo in December — and cold that drains batteries.
- Starting from
- $330
- Duration
- 30 min
- You receive
- 15 edited photos
- Delivery
- within 3 days
Only-in-Japan shoots
What’s included
- 15 edited photos
- Location chosen on the snow and road forecast for your date
- A warm-up stop built into the 30 minutes
- Private online gallery within 3 days
Add to the booking
Bought with this shoot, never on their own. Fixed prices in US dollars.
Kimono rental & dressing
+$55
Hair & make-up artist
+$100
Extra hour
+$150
Reel add-on
+$120
Drone add-on
+$235
Express 24 h delivery
+$80
Mandarin-speaking assistant
+$70
Inspiration
Snow photoshoot: ideas for your shoot
Frames by photographers on Unsplash, credited below — the mood to plan your own shoot against, not our portfolio.
Photos: Adrian Siaril, Dominic Kurniawan Suryaputra, KWON YOUN, Darth Liu, jet dela cruz on Unsplash
Where to book it
Book Snow photoshoot where you are staying
Bookable in 2 places across Japan. Choose the one nearest your hotel — travel within it is included.
Plan around the place
Snow photoshoot: where it works best, and what to read first
About this shoot
Cold hands, clean snow
- Starting from
- $330
- Duration
- 30 min
- Edited photos
- 15
- Places
- 2
Hokkaido has reliable snow from December to March. Otaru’s canal, the hills around Biei and the streets of Sapporo during the Snow Festival in early February are the usual settings. Around Biei the temperature regularly drops below −10 °C in the morning, so the 30 minutes can be split around a warm-up indoors, and camera batteries are swapped every 20 minutes because the cold drains them.
Biei’s fields are working farmland, not a park. After years of visitors walking into the fields, the farmer cut down the well-known Philosophy Tree in 2020. We photograph from roads and public land only, and never step onto a field without the owner’s permission — the snow you see untouched is someone’s crop.
On Honshu, Kanazawa’s Kenrokuen garden ties its pines with yukitsuri ropes from November to March, and Shirakawa-go’s farmhouses usually carry heavy snow in January and February. Shirakawa-go’s evening illuminations require advance reservations to enter, and we confirm current rules when booking.
Wear snow boots with grip and thin gloves under thick ones. You receive 15 edited photos in a private online gallery within 3 days.
Before you book
Frequently asked questions: Snow photoshoot
What should we wear?
Boots with grip — Sapporo pavements are ice from December — and a coat in a solid, darker colour, which reads far better against white than pale beige. Put disposable heat packs (kairo, sold at every convenience store) in your pockets and gloves; we pause halfway to warm up.
Can we shoot in the fields at Biei?
No. Biei’s famous trees stand on working farmland, and farmers have asked visitors to keep off; one well-known tree was cut down in 2020 after years of trespassing. We shoot from roads and public viewpoints, which is where the wide frames come from anyway.
What if a blizzard closes the roads?
Then we do not drive. We move to another day of your stay at no charge, or shoot somewhere reachable on foot or by train, such as the Otaru canal. If neither works, you are refunded.
Next step
Plan your Snow photoshoot
We reply within 2 hours, 9:00–21:00 Japan time. No deposit required to enquire.