
There are some hoops you have to jump through, but this is an unforgettable place to have your photos taken when you’re ready to exchange rings.
The Tokyo National Museum, located across the street from Ueno Park, houses a stunning collection of beautiful artifacts. Even if it’s not displaying one of the legendary Five Swords Under Heaven, there’s always an impressive array of works of classical Japanese sculpture, pottery, and painting to be seen.
The building itself is an architectural work of art too, and unbeknownst to many people, it’s also a fantastic wedding photo venue, as shown in these photos from Japanese Twitter user @starpla3.
In the photos shared by @starpla3, the loving couple is standing hand-in-hand on the grand stone staircases of the museum’s entry hall. Not only do the steps provide a sense of scale for the luxuriously long train of the bride’s dress, the building’s interior aesthetics give the pictures a timeless atmosphere, as they look like they could have been taken either just a day or an entire century ago.
国立博物館でウェディングフォト撮ってきました。 pic.twitter.com/qbdL3aaaJH
— サマナ (@starpla3) October 19, 2021
The breathtaking photos have been met with gasps of Suteki! (“Lovely!”) by online commenters, no doubt many of whom are now considering having their own photos taken there someday.
It should be noted, though, that finding your soulmate is only half of what you’ll need to do to get your wedding photos taken inside the building. Photography is not allowed inside the building during normal visiting hours, and special-permission photo shoots like @starpla3’s require advance reservations, generally made through a professional photography studio. What’s more, with the museum being one of the premiere institutions of its type in Japan and pretty much always in the process of cycling its displays or preparing for special exhibitions, reservation slots are extremely limited, and absolutely require working around the schedule of the museum’s off-hours operations.
Even that has a potential upside, though. The reservation @starpla3 was able to obtain was for an early morning shoot, before the museum opened to the general public, and the visual result is rays of dazzling morning sunshine casting long shadows as they shine through the hall’s eastward-facing windows. So even if you have to wake up early, for unforgettable photos like these, it’s definitely worth it.
Source: Twitter/@starpla3 via IT Media
Top image: SoraNews24
Insert images: Twitter/@starpla3
● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!




One of Tokyo’s best museums is closing and won’t be open again for years
Tokyo’s Ghibli Museum set to crack down on ticket scalping and resales with pre-entry ID checks
Legendary crescent moon katana, one of Japan’s Five Swords Under Heaven, now on display in Tokyo
Secretive Ghibli Museum starts video diary to give glimpse inside anime attraction【Videos】
Giant flying Totoro balloon appears at Tokyo’s Ghibli Museum【Video】
Studio Ghibli releases new Kiki’s Delivery Service Jiji music box for anime fans
Japan’s new beer glass is designed to force you to drink…water [Video]
This beautiful rural Japan river is a great alternative to touristy summer retreats [Photos]
Are Japan’s room-temperature curry packets the boxed lunch heroes we’ve been looking for? [Taste test]
Studio Ghibli theme park announces new expansion saluting a previously off-limits anime
New Japanese vending machine at Shinkansen station sells cups of ice on platform
Police ask Kumamoto residents to not get blackout drunk as much during earthquake relief efforts
Kumamoto earthquake may have created Japan’s newest hot spring inside flooded restaurant [Video]
Japanese convenience store food gets turned into hyper-realistic stationery you can peel open
Tokyo is getting a branch of famous Los Angeles hot dog chain Pink’s with Japan-exclusive items
Pokémon Center Online designates first Pokémon items that will require Japanese ID card to buy
Japanese toilet aims to attract foreign tourists but not everybody is happy about it
Anime fan in Japan arrested for ordering and cancelling over 4.3 billion yen in anime merch
Starbucks Japan teams up with Traveler’s Company for new stationery and goods collection
Japanese vending machine sells freshly squeezed lemon juice with a futuristic light show
Beautiful Totoro bonsai figure needs no watering, makes soothing rain showers whenever you want
End of a manga era as Weekly Shonen Jump’s circulation drops under one million
Kochia calling: Right now is a great off-season season to visit this beautiful Japanese park
Tokyo subway installing new ticket gates that don’t accept payment through Suica or other IC cards
Japan now has human refrigerators inspired by Japanese vending machines
Hatsune Miku collaborates with Hokusai’s art in new Vocaloid ukiyo-e illustration series [Pics]
New Shinkansen luggage drop-off system begins in Japan, making train travel even easier
Studio Ghibli releases anime T-shirts that pay homage to one of Hayao Miyazaki’s most personal films
Air-conditioned dress shirts arrive in Japan to save working professionals from sweltering heat
Japanese Shinkansen becomes an overnight hotel for three nights this summer
Cup Noodle unveils first-ever cold-water instant ramen in Japan
99-year-old woman rescued while attempting to climb Mt. Fuji
Japan announces sudden 400-percent increase in visa fees for foreigners entering the country
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Studio Ghibli has a new anime out, and there’s only one place in the world where you can see it
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]
Japanese ninja certification exam attracts 131 candidates from Japan and abroad
Salomon releases Japan-exclusive Mt. Fuji hiking gear that doubles as an amazing souvenir
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
Summer nights at this amazing Tokyo open-air museum are like stepping back in time
Tokyo National Museum seeking donations to pave over pond, create space for beer and music events
Nintendo Museum’s official merch includes awesome giant controller cushions【Video】
Tokyo’s coolest open-air museum gets even cooler with hot summer nights event
Ghibli Museum’s Summer Stand lets you get a taste of Ghibli fun even if you don’t have a ticket
Amazing ukiyo-e art exhibit gives you the chance to step inside a woodblock print and snap photos
Japanese museum holds on to child’s lost stuffed animal for 30 years, gives it bath, new clothes
Perfectly recreated 1960s Japanese apartment lets museum visitors go back to mid-Showa era【Pics】
Katana of one of Japan’s most famous swordsmen goes on display to help Kumamoto earthquake victims
Samurai Ninja Museum Tokyo With Experience is true to its name, lets you slice with real katana
Goodbye, Megaweb! Downtown Tokyo’s coolest car museum is closing for good【Photos】
Small trees, big beauty await at Japan’s Bonsai Art Museum【Photos】
There’s a new museum in Japan, but almost all of its location is a secret
TeamLab Borderless: A visitor’s guide to Tokyo’s new jaw-dropping interactive light museum