Proposal in Mount Fuji - Kawaguchiko - 2024/05/14
About a month prior, I received an inquiry from my website from Zhiyuan, from Singapore, who was trying to propose to his girlfriend. He was quite anxious about it and was wondering where would be the best spot to do so. We discussed about several locations, such as Shinjuku Gyoen, Hakone and other but he finally decided on Kawaguchiko and the majestic view of Mount Fuji.
Not only did he want to have a full proposal photoshoot, but he also wanted to have a bouquet for the occasion. So we discussed about the flower bouquet that would make the best impression on his future fiancée and I made sure that I could get my hands on THE bouquet ahead of time.
Change of plan
We kept communicating until the day of the proposal. However, a few days before, we realized that the weather might not be the best at the initial time that we planned to shoot - 8AM. So we agreed together to push the session to 10AM so that we could get the best results for the day. I always try to stay flexible for my clients (as much as my schedule allows me to be) as it is their special day and I truly want it to feel special.
To be safe, I arrived there about 1h ahead of time. Even if this is a location that I am used to shoot at, I always prefer being sure that everything will be ok, that the place is not too crowded and that everything is going to be ok. And that day, a company happened to be scanning the area… lucky me. But after a quick chat with them, they told me that they were not going to be here for a long time and that they would make sure to scan the zone of the proposal first so that there is no issue. Sometimes you just have to ask and talk, and everything goes well.
The proposal
Once I was done scouting the area, I got my camera ready and the waiting game started. I communicated with Zhiyuan via WhatsApp to make sure to share my live location with him so that he could know where I was and vice-versa. And they actually arrived about 20min ahead of time! That’s why I always try to get on location ahead of time, especially for surprises like this. You never know…
Once they arrived, I pretended to be a tourist taking pictures of the area. I waited for them to walk ahead of me and started to carefully monitor their movements, as sometimes a proposal can happen when you expect it the least!
I gave instructions to Zhiyuan on where to position himself and made sure to position the bouquet on the floor for him to take and lead on the proposal. They slowly made their way to the area and the picture above pretty much sums it up.
The weather was great, Mount Fuji was fully visible and she was full of emotions when it happened. A successful proposal overall. But it was far from over. After giving the couple some time to enjoy the moment, I introduced myself and we kept taking pictures in the area. I focused on keeping the shots genuine and causal. As they did not have a lot of experience in front of the camera, it helps warming up the couple with simple shots, making them walk, interact with each other and just have fun. It makes for much more enjoyable experience for them, which is the most important aspect.
If you are looking to propose in Japan and are looking for a photographer to immortalize the moment, make sure to contact me and book here
The Photoshoot - Nagasaki Park, Tenku no Torii and Fuji Honcho Street
We first started with Nagasaki Park, the place of the proposal. This park is not very crowded, which makes it ideal to experiment and really take your time with the couple. They have time to enjoy and to be themselves without having to care about other people and a crowd staring at them. I always try to get a good mix of poses and genuine shots, as well as some ring shots so that the couple has everything that they need.
Afterwards, as I was come by car, and as the couple booked a 2h package, we made our way to a second location - Tenku no Torii.
Tenku no Torii is one of the most iconic views of Mt Fuji, with a Torii (Japanese gate) being right in front of Mt Fuji. The important thing to know, if you plan on going there is that if you don’t have a car, it can be very hard to access. So we made our way there by car and arrived on the spot where there was barely anyone. We had plenty of time to explore poses, make sure that they had time to get the shots that they wanted as well, review them and of course enjoy the view!
Another important spot on the way there is a small cafe that has an amazing view on Mount Fuji. We also stopped there to get a coffee, take a small break and make sure that they enjoyed their time, while taking a few pictures as well.
And finally, we made our way to the city center and Fuji Honcho. The iconic street, with an amazing view on Mt Fuji was our last stop for the session and we made sure to get shots there as well. We also explored the less crowded areas around that street as well to make sure that they can enjoy, without always being stressed out by the traffic and the chaos of the street.
After that, we drove together to Yamanakako where I dropped them off before driving back to Tokyo.
If you are looking to propose in Japan and are looking for a photographer to immortalize the moment, make sure to contact me and book here:
