Imperial Palace Garden Kimono Photo Session

Hi. Welcome to a photo blog of Miho Iimura. I am Japanese vacation photographer based in Tokyo. Here I would like to share some of my favorite pictures from a family photo session around Imperial Palace in early December.

This family loves Japan! They’ve been to Tokyo many times and they wanted to do something special for her daughter as she is 7 years old this year.

For the traditional event called Shichi-Go-San (seven-five-three), families goes to neighborhood shrine and make a special prayer for healthy growth and longevity for their child. Female children of age three-year-old and seven-year-old, as well as male children of five, is celebrated on November 15.

In fact, the busiest season for on-location family photographers is around November with Shichi-Go-San. This is because children wear traditional outfit KIMONO for the first time.

Nowadays not many people ware Kimono on a daily basis. Partly because it cost a fortune to purchase silk-made kimono tailored to yourself. Also, it takes practice to wear them by yourself, so that we usually rent Kimono and ask skilled professional to fit it for you.

The location they chose for the Kimono photo session was around Imperial Palace Ground that’s a short walk from Tokyo Station.

What’s now imperial palace (where Japanese emperor and empress lives) used to be the Edo Castle. You can see the original moats and great stone walls that were built in Edo period (1603~). The wooden bridge and pine trees matched perfectly for the Kimono photo session!

We were fortunate to catch this beautiful sunset. In Tokyo, it’s not so easy to catch the sunset. Also, lines of Ginko Trees were turning bright yellow at this timing. If your visit to Tokyo is late November to early December, this location is great for colored leaves shots.

I hope this post gave you some insights of a photo shoot with local photographer Miho Iimura around Palace Ground and Tokyo Station.

If your travel plan is early November, make a visit to Meiji Shrine on a weekend. You’ll likely to find kids in Kimono also bride and groom with Kimono on their wedding day as well.

If there’s any question or request regarding your vacation photography, please feel free to contact me. Autumn/Fall is the most popular season for an outdoor photo session, to save a spot for you, please contact before arriving in Tokyo!

Interested in a session with Sakura/Cherry Blossom? Please visit this Blog.