Solo travel photoshoot

Who it suits. Travelling alone in Japan is easy; appearing in your own photos is not. Tripods are banned at many temples and on busy pavements, and a stranger’s phone snap at Shibuya Crossing rarely ends well. This session is for solo travellers of any age who want a handful of pictures that show them in the place — for themselves, for family at home, or for a profile picture that is finally not a selfie.

Meeting, made simple. Everything about the meeting is designed for someone on their own. We meet in public at a named station exit — Hachiko exit at Shibuya, Kaminarimon at Asakusa, or the Keihan Gion-Shijo exits in Kyoto — and the photographer’s name, phone number and a photo of the exact exit reach you the day before. The session stays on public streets, and you can stop for a coffee whenever you like.

Where it works best. Three places suit one person particularly well. Shibuya, at street level between seven and eight in the morning, when the crossing holds dozens of people rather than thousands. Shinjuku’s west side, with a free observatory and wide pavements between the towers, and then the oldest, narrowest lanes on the other side of the station. And the Senbon Torii at Fushimi Inari, where the tunnels of gates are narrow enough to frame a single figure better than a group. The Arashiyama riverbank, before the tour groups arrive around nine, is a fourth.

For people who dislike posing. Most frames are taken while you walk, read a menu board or look across a street, with a few still portraits in between, and the first minutes are a warm-up that rarely makes the final 15. Wear what you travel in, ideally in plain colours, and bring the bag or hat you actually carry, so the pictures look like your trip rather than a shoot.

Weather is the variable to plan around. The rainy season runs from June to mid-July everywhere except Hokkaido, and a clear umbrella in a lit street can work well, but a typhoon between August and October means moving the date. If you only have one free morning, tell us when you book and we will keep a back-up slot.

What is included. You receive 15 edited photos in a private online gallery within 3 days, usually while you are still in Japan. To cover more than one spot, add extra hours at $150 each. The $195 price covers the shoot, editing and travel within the city booked; a Mandarin-speaking assistant is $70 and 24-hour express delivery $80.