Wedding photo shoot permit in Japan

Hi all,

I am planning to go Tokyo and Kyoto in April 2016 for my pre-wedding photoshoot and I heard that we have to apply for photography permit beforehand.

May I know which are the places that need to apply for photography permit and which are the places that do not need. Please also advise how do I apply for photography permit for those places that require such permits.

The below places are the ones that I will be going for my pre-wedding photoshoot:

Tokyo
1) Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden
2) Meiji Shrine & Harajuku
3) Yoyogi Park
4) Shibuya crossing
5) Nakamegro Sakura river
6) Shinjuku - Neon Light shooting

Kyoto
7) Arashiyama - Bamboo grove
8) Fushimi Inari Shrine
9) Kiyomizudera and Higashiyama District

Regards,
BiXeL

I assume it is for your own, and you are not doing this commerically, correct? Still, I believe that Shinjuku Gyoen would require a permit IF you use some reflector boards or need to occupy the same location for a long time/block others from passing.

(Information in Japanese only)
https://www.env.go.jp/garden/shinjukugyoen/2_guide/pro_01.html

Meiji Shrine prohibits photographing the main shrine building, and on the walks leading up to the shrine it should be OK, but unless you go there early in the morning there will be others around.

I wonder what kind of photos you are thinking of. At least for all of the Tokyo locations, it would be extremely difficult to secure that noone else gets into the photos.

Thanks for your information. Nope, I am not doing it for commercial, the photoshoot is purely for my own personal collection for my upcoming wedding.

Do you know if Arashiyama and Fushimi Inari Shrine in Tokyo require photoshoot permit?

Do you know if Arashiyama and Fushimi Inari Shrine in Tokyo require photoshoot permit?

You mean Kyoto, right?

Arashiyama is a large area with any individual temples and businesses etc that will have their own policies about photography. If you're asking whether it's ok to snap away outside in the area, sure, that will be fine.

Fushimi Inari is very well photographed so again, no problems there although your biggest challenge will be finding a moment to take a photo without hordes of others appearing in the shot...

Thanks Saru Bob for your information.

It seems like I don't really have to apply for photoshoot permit anywhere in Japan as long as I am not doing that for commercial photoshoot.

Please correct me if I am wrong. Thank you.

Although I can't remember about all the specific locations you mention, quite a few places IIRC including Meiji Jingu have a no tripods policy. Also out of politeness I would of course want to contact the people at the temples, shrines & garden in advance to explain what I was going to be doing to avoid embarrassment

if you take photos VERY QUICKLY at PERMITTED areas, those will be allowed.
however, it does not mean you can do anything without permission.
without saying, obviously, you don't have any right to disturb traffic of others, with or without permissions.

also, you should note that pre-wedding photographing itself is not familiar in Japan. it is your way. nothing is allowed by the reason of pre-wedding photographing.

Pre-wedding photo shoots are indeed getting increasingly popular in Japan too, now that digital devices are making it so easy for young brides, grooms and friends to make slides and movies that come straight from their hearts. If you have booked a wedding venue, perhaps you can ask them for advise on permissions.

I'm just wondering, though. Has any of the members of your team actually been to all those places? If so, you probably know to some degree about what is tolerated and what is not.

I would believe all these places other than
7) Arashiyama - Bamboo grove
8) Fushimi Inari Shrine
require you to gain permission for photoshoot.

You dont need permission if you wear normal clothing as you could act like normal tourists. However, if you wear wedding dress and photographer uses reflection board, tripod, etc then you def need permission.

Unfortunately, it is impossible to get a permission for a public places like Shibuya crossing for a personal photoshoot. Japanese photographers cannot go there to shoot because they cannot continue business if the get caught.
If you bring your own oversea photographer, then you can try your luck but police may come and stop you because such photo-shooting in the middle of public space will be bothering to the other walkers.

Thanks taketokky. My photographer is from overseas so that shouldn't be a problem.

My photographer would not be using tripod and reflection board. Hence, do I still require to apply for permit for these places?

Yes, you do.
For public spaces like Shibuya crossing, you need shooting permit from the local authority but it is almost impossible to get for your type of project.
If you think about it, if there are three couples doing the photo shoot at shibuya crossing when hundreds of walkers are crossing, you will be nothing but obstacle to the walkers and simply cause problems..

Because of above reason, local authority will not issue permit. Your last choice is to go ahead and shoot anyway. It's called guerrilla shooting in Japan and i guess that's what most foreigners do. You might not get any problems but there is a chance that police will just come and kick you guys out.
Shinjuku gyoen does not issue permit, so only chance is guerrilla shooting. But again, if many foreigners do not follow rules when locals do, the park will have to take actions to make such shooting impossible to be fair with locals.
I mean, there are people who do not want to see foreigners in western wedding dress doing photo shoot in Japanese style garden or park. we all have to respect and understand everyone's preferences.. Similar rules apply to other places but some places allow you to shoot if you apply for a permit in advance.

There are vendors who help you to retain such permits as well. So you might wanna consider to use them as well. All procedures are in Japanese and i think it would be difficult foreigners to apply. Good luck!

Thanks taketokky! I didn't know there are vendors that help foreigners to apply permits. May I know who are they and how I can reach them? We seriously need someone to help us apply for photography permits. Thank you in advance!

Hi BiXel89

I quickly googled and found below vendors but all these support only Japanese..

http://jubilee.jp/photo/permission.html
https://osaka-fc.jp/supporter/index.html

Actually, I acknowledge these issues which oversea visitors face in Japan and started a new business to resolve such problems. It's called KoKoRography.

https://kokorography.com/kokorography-concierge/

We started a platform where foreigners can search and book photographers or (videographers) who are willing to welcome oversea customers. As a part of the services we provide, we do apply for shooting permissions. This was meant for our customers but we just started in Feb and our vision is to help oversea visitors so anyone is welcome at this point :)

Pls dont feel like you were pushed for something or spam advertisement as I was browsing the forum to learn the problems for tourists in Japan and coincidentally found your post that falls under my expertise. Have a happy shooting and hope for a sunny day!