Your One-Week Checklist Before a Tokyo Portrait Session

Honestly, most pre-shoot anxiety does not come from having too much to do. It comes from not knowing when each thing needs to be decided. Decide what you want to shoot seven days out, check the weather and the route three days out, pack your bag the night before, and arrive a little early on the day. Nothing here is hard. The hard part is trying to think about all of it on the same day.

Seven days before: settle three things

First, pick your session and the feeling you want. Tokyo One Scene is 40 minutes at one location. Tokyo Walk is 90 minutes across two walkable locations. Tokyo Story is 180 minutes across up to three nearby locations. You do not need a detailed plan yet. Just ask yourself: do you want one strong portrait you can actually use, or a varied set of photos? That answer decides the session, and how far you will walk on the day.
Second, send reference photos. Save five to eight photos you like, note whether you like the light, the colours, or the mood, and send them to the photographer. You do not need professional vocabulary. The photographer reads what you want from the photos you pick.
Third, say everything that needs advance notice, all at once. Do you need help finding a stylist or a kimono rental shop? Does your location have rules that need checking first? Are two people shooting together? The earlier you mention these, the more time the photographer has to check feasibility and cost. And remember: submitting a request does not mean the booking is confirmed. The photographer still needs to confirm the date, the details, and the price. Booking a week ahead leaves room for that confirmation.

Three days before: check the weather and the route

Three days out, check the forecast once, and check how to get to the meeting point. If you have never been there, save the station exit, the walking time, and what the meeting point looks like on your phone. Getting lost on the day ruins the mood more than rain does.
The forecast will still change, so at this stage a rough idea is enough: do you need a jacket, and should you think about a rainy-day backup? The photographer checks the weather again the day before the shoot, and decides with you whether to reschedule, change the route, or keep shooting in the rain, based on rainfall, safety, and your wishes. You do not need to decide now. Knowing a backup exists is enough.

The night before: pack your bag

Pack these the night before, and your morning stays calm:

• The outfit you will shoot in (both outfits, if your session allows a change)
• Comfortable walking shoes, plus the shoes you will change into
• Touch-up makeup, hairpins, and hair ties
• Cash in Japanese yen for the day — there is no deposit. You pay in cash, in yen, on site, when the shoot is finished, so prepare it the night before rather than rushing to exchange money in the morning
• Your phone and a power bank, with the meeting-point details saved on it

Outfits, hair, and makeup are normally prepared by you, so try your outfit on in front of a mirror the night before. Is it comfortable to walk in? Does it feel tight when you sit? Is the person in the mirror someone you like? Two minutes of checking saves a lot of doubt on the day.

The morning of the shoot: just arrive early

On the morning itself, you only need to do three things: eat something, bring your bag, and arrive 10 to 15 minutes before the meeting time. Arriving early is not just politeness. Walking and changing are counted inside the session time, so arriving early keeps the full session for shooting.
On location, the photographer demonstrates poses, positions, and where to look, and you adjust along with them. You do not need to know how to pose. The photographer guides you. The rest is simply relaxing and being yourself.

Common questions

What if I only decide the day before? You can still submit a request, but a submitted request is not a confirmed booking, and the photographer needs time to confirm the date, the details, and the price. The closer to the day, the fewer times remain available. A week ahead is the most comfortable timing.
Can I keep my photos private? Yes. Publishing photos requires your consent. If you prefer not to be published, just note it in the request form.
How do I receive my photos? The photographer selects and colour-grades the photos, then delivers them as JPGs. You then choose the number of retouched photos included in your session. The delivery method and timing are explained before the booking is confirmed.

Your next step

If you already have a rough idea of what you want, look at the available dates now and pick a day at least a week away. Then work through this checklist at your own pace. Dates in peak season go quickly. Secure the date first, and the rest follows in order.