The Ultimate Guide for Wedding Photo Spots in Tokyo

Let us then discover some of these Tokyo Japan places, the mood and style associated, the dates of the venue, and more so your wedding photoshoot is planned with care and understanding that you will cherish forever.

Who could resist feeling royal for the big day? And the Tokyo Imperial Palace is just such a place in Tokyo, Japan that is bound to make you both look good together forever. You need to know what you can do there, when is it open, will we be charged for the venue and such details, right? Of course, the main palace area is not open for photoshoots and the public since the Imperial family lives there. However, one can book a tour to the Imperial Palace East Garden grounds and use the group to be photographed against the Imperial Palace. That way you look royal and can even use the palace as your backdrop. The tours last 75 minutes, and the grounds are open every day except on the Emperor’s Birthday on 23^rd December and on 2^nd January for the New Year greeting session by the royals.

The Imperial Palace is built on the historic site of the ancient Edo Castle, which was gutted by a fire. Fortunately, the entrance gates, the moats, guardhouses, and the outer walls survived and formed excellent props. The impressive Kikyomon gate is the entrance to the palace and is well connected to the Otemachi Subway Station a mere 10 minutes away and the JR line’s Tokyo station about 15 minutes away by walk. Entry is free between 9 and 4.30 pm through the grounds are closed on Fridays, Mondays and public holidays.

If you want to have exploded and nature-filled colors along the stone-paved paths of Tokyo Japan, then head to Meiji Jingu. In autumn the flame red and orange leaves or the new bride- blush cherry blossom pink petals of spring can help set the mood for your big day. Use the Philosopher’s Path built long ago to revitalize the Japanese economy as your backdrop and impress posterity with your stunning pictures with the Meiji period path. The 100-year-old Meiji Jingu/ Shrine, dedicated to the first modern Shinto Japanese Emperor Meiji and its beautiful gardens and forest area on 70 hectares is a sure-fire hit as your dream locale no matter the season. It is also close to the high-flying hip Harajuku fashion district, Yoyogi Park, and Shibuya, which are also popular for photoshoots.

The Shrine itself has about 100,000 trees donated from across the globe, and two main areas called the Gaien and Naien or the outer and inner Imperial Gardens. The entrance to Naien is ticketed at 500 Yen, and you get access to the Homotsuden Treasure Museum, Kiyomasa’s Spiritual Well, and the Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery with 80 murals of Empress Shoken and Emperor Meiji. The 1964 Summer Olympics National Stadium, the restaurants around, the traditional arts festivals held here all make it a very popular venue for the many Shinto Weddings that happen here, and that contributes to the nearly 3 million footfalls that the shrine sees annually.

The Tokyo Photographic Art Museum makes a picture-worthy venue for your pre-wedding shoot in Tokyo, Japan. Open up a dream world of interactive digital arts projected onto the walls to make it your backdrop for a dream photo-op session. The use of professional photographers and professional cameras is not allowed though selfies are sans the stick. The tickets are valid for a day and allow you to inculcate digital arts and the latest technology into your pictures. At this museum, which is the only one in Tokyo, you can experience 3D spaces made possible through 470 projectors and 520 computers in a huge area of 10,000 sq m brought to digital life at the TeamLab Borderless Art Museum that move and respond to every move of yours. There is a restaurant on-site called the EN TEA HOUSE. The entire area is divided into five zones that are individually and interactively different each time you interact with the artworks. Turn your photoshoot into a riot of colors and a seamless experience of zero boundaries at this modern and innovative art museum. The experience is interactive, and you will need to leave your backpack, etc behind in the lockers. High heels are not permitted. But that’s not the point to enjoy your selves and take some amazing photos of being in love that could put professional photographers of wedding shoots to shame.

The Meguro River of Tokyo Japan encompasses entire Tokyo and will make an excellent background for the photoshoot. The atmosphere is one of serenity and Japanese culture amidst the hustle-and-bustle of modern city living. No matter where the river goes in Tokyo, both banks are always full of cherry trees, and somehow even, they appear different and more vividly colored making a pretty picture that can never go wrong.

Many couples use the backdrop of the river to simulate hiking trips, adventure activities have undertaken together, that unforgettable moment when he proposes, and she says ’YES’ and more. Let your imagination run riot since the venues are for free. You can use any area from the city like the Hamarikyu Gardens, the cherry lined boardwalks along the river, the fun activities and water sports happening on the river, and make up your theme. No matter how you plan your photoshoot the photographs with the cherry blossoms always form memories forever. More so when love binds the elements together!

How can your photoshoot be complete without the most famous Tokyo Japan icon of the Tokyo Tower? Use the glorious evening time shot of Tokyo’s Eiffel Tower from Zojoji Park to immortalize your precious moments together. After all, the venue is free and can be best used at sunrise and sunset when the sun’s rays make the tower appear a warm golden and depict how you both feel with each other. The 1958 iconic tower is a 333m high communication tower providing some excellent sky decks to picture you against the skyline. From the observation deck, you can see the distant Mount Fuji, and whether you are local or have traveled abroad just for the pre-wedding shoot nothing captures the dual nature of Tokyo like the Tokyo Tower deck. Entrance to the deck area is ticketed, though the area below is free to use and reflective of the old and ancient Shinjuku-nichōme area. The night views are also spectacular and capture the romantic nights under the full moon’s gaze of a city sparkling with millions of lights in the backdrop. The park lawns, the Guinness Records Museum, the wax museum, and the nearby aquarium are also great for capturing the moment in Tokyo. The tallest structure is the Tokyo Sky Tree, but the views from Tokyo Tower are unparalleled as it makes the landmarks and skyscrapers appear a lot closer!

Tokyo Japan and its modern colorful architectural version are best photographed at the artificial island of Odaiba and its iconic Soho, a 13 floored building. Most professional photographers and bloggers love the door colors and swear that it is among the best spots for a pre-wedding shoot available in Japan. If you are a modern fashionista then you will be quick to note that the colors mimicked on the Soho are the myriad colors of the rainbow. Why not a wedding shoot under the lucky rainbow color scheme itself? While this backdrop looks great during the daytime at nights one can enjoy a better color contrast and saturation levels. Most couples prefer standing or proposing against the railings of the Soho to get the beautifully colored doors as their backdrop. Just imagine the significance of such a picture and the joy and colors or what they could mean to the two of you, and you’re set to go.

The Odaiba Marine Park and its Shiokaze Park are also great secret locations for the photo-op. This marine park with shopping malls, large indoor recreational spaces, leisure locations, food courts, entertainment areas, and more make a great theme of unbeatable memories. There is an additional fee for night shooting of 30, 000 yen plus taxes though the views of Tokyo at night are spectacularly beautiful and makes it worth the expense. Especially so when the Rainbow bridge is included in it!

Ueno Park in Tokyo Japan is one of the largest park areas and a wildly popular Tokyo hanami spot. Did you know that this place sees over 10 million footfalls annually? The Ueno Park offers you a variety of backdrops to choose from for your photo op and is easily accessible from any corner of Tokyo by the subway To Ueno district. Choose from any of these locations below, which are part of the parking area and provide for a variety of moods evoked for your special day memories. Be it the Cherry Blossom Festival and its venue or the culture inspired background provided by the Tokyo National Museum, National Science Museum, or the National Museum of Western Art, think of what it would mean to you and where you first met in Ueno Park. Were you both students at the nearby University of Tokyo? Do you love visiting the Shitamachi Museum, spending time with the Uneo Zoo animals, or met at a picnic? Want a more traditional and serene backdrop? How about the nearby Ueno Kaneiji Temple, Ueno Kiyomizu Kannon Temple, Ueno Shinobazu Pond, Ueno Toshogu Shrine, or the Bentendo Temple? Perhaps one under the sakura trees or eating the tasty street food?

The Mori Art Museum is a funky venue in Tokyo Japan for your pre-wedding shoot and its candid moments. The ever-popular Roppongi Hills complex with its cinema, a garden, loads of cafes, food, and retail shops, restaurants, and marketplaces provide a great ambiance for setting your mood and locations. The Maman giant spider or cockroach Louise Bourgeois's sculpture can be tried for some funk quotient. From here, get to the 52^nd floor of the Mori Tower’s Observation Deck to get those Tokyo skyline views and photographs. The Mori Art Museum charges 15 $ per adult but provides many exhibits that are downright bizarre and scarily beautiful. Depends on your perception and what you want to portray. Beauty and the Beast story developing here? An extra 3$ and you can go up to the heliport on the roof of the 54th-floor observation deck. A professional and friendly but experienced photographer here charges you just 15$ for a snapshot of you and your beloved against the Tokyo skyline and scenery. You can even propose over lunch at the Pintokona with sushi in true Japanese traditional kaiten-style.

Transportation is easy as you need just to use the escalators near the insect sculpture to reach the Metro's Hibiya station located two floors below the restaurant. Don’t choke as the plates are chip embedded cost 2 to 7$ each and provide automated billing! Other important places to explore as possible venues are the Roppongi Hills Garden Pond, Shakaden Reiyukai Temple, the Garden of Unborn Children, Hachikō's Grave if you love the loyal canine friend of man, the Ninja Akasaka restaurant, Tokyo Tower Wax Museum's Progressive Rock Room, the Kawaii Monster Café, Alice on Wednesday themed shop, the Kagaya bar, the Little Peeing Monk of Tokyo and more are close by.

Shinjuku takes you down the Tokyo Japan Memory Lane. The entire district is dripping with ancient buildings and modern people walking around and exploring the narrow alleys and a horde of shops and houses both located in the same building. Remember those pictures where the wash was hung out to dry over the street? It exists to date with a lot of neon lights from the Instagram-worthy pictures of the modernized shopping district on the ground floors.

Also known among the locals as Piss Alley, the Shinjuku Omoide Yokocho is very popular for those street photographs. The Kabukicho area is another gem that is officially the red-light area and entertainment district with geishas, robot restaurants, neon-lit bars and restaurants, and the wild side of night-time photography for all occasions. A little further, and you come to the area known as the Golden Gai and is more like entering a time-capsule with 200 bars over just 6 alleys! You will, of course, need a wide-angle lens or a recent multi-lens low-light smartphone to take excellent pictures.

Shinjuku Gyoen in Tokyo Japan’s most beautiful park with a peaceful and serene ambiance. With hanami spots in spring, lots of Sakura trees, so beautiful in autumn and winter coupled with ample areas of deciduous trees that match the season’s changes in their hues and leaf colors, you get a perfect picture no matter the season. There are plenty of perfect spots along the many bends of the walkways and many varieties of gardens to choose from. Try any of them for their landscaping styles from the French Formal, English Landscape, Taiwan Pavilion, the Mother and Child Forest Haha to Ko no Mori, or the Japanese Traditional complete with a teahouse.

In the cherry blossom season, the park transforms into a pavilion focused on the central lawn areas where you can have a picnic lunch. The shopping area of Times Square, the nearby Shinjuku area, and the Kinokuniya bookstore also make great mood-setters. The Shinjuku Gyoen Garden is open daily from Tuesdays to Saturdays with Sundays and Mondays being holidays. They stay open from 9 in the morning to 4 in the evening. The tickets are priced at 2$ per adult and lesser for students, seniors, etc. To get to the gardens use the Shinjuku-Sanchome station on the Toei Shinjuku line or the Shinjuku station on the Yamanote line.

The Harajuku neighborhood of Tokyo Japan is popular among the hipsters and youth as a photo location. Filled with high-fashion street fashionistas and tourists the crowded shopping area comes abuzz on Sundays and needs just a bit of imagination to spin an imaginative picture into a long love story. It appears like the cover of one of the glossies of a fashion magazine, and the fashion elite will proudly pose with you if requested. You can find the eccentrically dressed locals, vintage outlets, Anime cafes and crepe shops down Takeshita Street. The beautiful Yoyogi park is another photo spot that lies just across the main street of Harajuku. Expect gymnasts, musicians, biker gangs, artists, actors, photographers, and whos-who to be here. Another wonderful spot is the mirror ensconced entrance to the 2012 opened mall. You need to be early to get the perfect shot since the place is extremely popular and gets crowded throughout the day.

Did the Statue of Liberty move to Tokyo, Japan? Its slightly smaller replica is a great backdrop to be pictured against and is located in Odaiba. The 40 ft Odaiba Statue of Liberty can be zoomed into as its location and walkway proximity permits photographs that make it appear like the real New York one! The temporary statue, just one-seventh the original was first installed in 1998 or 99 to signify Japan’s French and foreign connections and become so well-loved that a year later it became a permanent fixture in Odaiba. The views from the Rainbow Bridge with the Tokyo Bay and Tokyo city and its night skyline as the backdrop are to die for I a pre-wedding shoot. Yes, Tokyo has many more such replicas of the Statue of Liberty, but none come near enough to mimic the real one as the Odaiba one does! The interconnectivity to Odaiba is excellent. You can use the Tokyo Waterfront’s New Transit Waterfront Yurikamome Line to get to Daiba Station or the Odaiba-Kaihinkoen Station from where it is just a stone’s throw away or use the Rinkai Line to get to the Tokyo Teleport Station. You can also travel by bus if you wish to the Daiba-eki stop, Niji-01, or the Odaiba-kaihinkoen-eki stop and walk a short distance to the statue.

In conclusion, Tokyo is a treasure trove of incredible pre-wedding shoot spots for couples, photography enthusiasts, travelers, and locals alike to experience and see for themselves. When you have the time, finances, and resources you can make your pre-wedding shoot the memory of a lifetime tracing your stories through pictures of love, emotions, and joy to be united together forever with nature's beauty and Tokyo city as your backdrop. That’s exactly why we traced you through these scenic and mostly free spots of Tokyo for the photo-op. We hope we have provided you with the much-needed details and helped save you some time in doing so. We wish you a memorable pre-wedding shoot and great joy for the upcoming wedding. Take good care of yourself!