Janelle & Graham's Surprise Proposal in Kyoto

Graham surprised Janelle with a proposal at Daigo-ji temple in Kyoto in May, then the two of them carried the day into the evening with a walk through Gion.

Daigo-ji is one of Kyoto's larger temple complexes, well known for its pagoda and its grounds, and quieter in feel than some of the city's more heavily visited sites depending on the time of day. It gave Graham a setting with real weight and history to it, the kind of backdrop that makes a single moment feel anchored rather than staged. May in Kyoto sits past the cherry blossom rush, so the temple grounds had settled into their fuller, greener early summer look, calm and unhurried.

From there, the day shifted entirely. Gion at evening is a different Kyoto altogether: narrow machiya-lined streets, lanterns coming on as the light dropped, a slower pace built for walking rather than sightseeing. Moving from the stillness of Daigo-ji to the warmth of Gion gave Janelle and Graham two distinct sides of the city in one day, and gave the photographs a natural shift in tone, from temple quiet to street glow.

As a Japan-based, bilingual photographer who has been featured in British Vogue, I find pairings like this, a temple in the morning or afternoon, a historic district after dark, tend to make for the most complete proposal days in Kyoto. Janelle and Graham's is a good example of why.

Vendor credits‍

• Photography: Sofia Hiramatsu Photography

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If you're dreaming of the same

Janelle and Graham, thank you for letting me follow your day from the quiet of Daigo-ji to the lanterns of Gion. If you're picturing a proposal in Kyoto that moves between more than one side of the city, I'd love to help you plan it.

For more on timing a trip like this, here's my guide to the best time to get married in Japan, and you can see more of my work as a Kyoto wedding and elopement photographer.