Tokyo Station crowded with wedding photo shooters… Some annoying photographers “verbally abused” passersby.

Manners at Tokyo Station for Wedding Photography Too Bad

Over the past few years, the area in front of Tokyo Station has become a very popular spot for wedding photo shoots, where many people come to take commemorative photos.

The sight of soon-to-be-married couples in wedding dresses and tuxedos taking pictures is a wonderful sight that seems to make people happy just by looking at them.

However, some SNS users have reported that some people are taking pictures in the crosswalk and even after being warned by the police, they continue to take pictures, and that a photographer taking wedding photos verbally told them to get out of the way.

On November 11, Matsuko Deluxe (52) appeared on TOKYO MX’s “5 o’clock! Many people on social networking sites expressed their support for the ban on wedding photos in Marunouchi.

Wedding photography is a general term that refers to all wedding photos, including those taken on the day of the ceremony and events such as pre-shoots and post-shoots, where photos are taken before and after the wedding. A similar term is “photo wedding,” but this style involves only photo shooting without the ceremony and reception.

In recent years, many young people have chosen to have only a photo shoot instead of a wedding ceremony. This is because of reasons such as “the financial burden is too much,” “I don’t want to be the center of attention,” “I don’t like social events,” and “I don’t want to feel responsible.

A wedding reception, for example, would cost several million yen or more, while a commemorative photo shoot alone would cost only a few hundred thousand yen. In line with the public trend, the bridal industry has seen an increase in the number of vendors offering only commemorative photography as a “simple wedding,” and as a result, Tokyo Station, a popular spot for wedding photography, has become crowded with many brides and grooms.

In fact, when we visited the Tokyo Station area, many brides and grooms had already come to take commemorative photos as the sun began to set. Brides and grooms dressed in dresses and suits were waiting for their turn to be photographed along the path from Tokyo Station to the straight Kikokumon (Inner Sakuradamon Gate), in order to capture Tokyo Station as a backdrop in the angle of view of their cameras.

When we talked to the brides and grooms, some said, “This is a once-in-a-lifetime event, so we want to take beautiful pictures without making any compromises.

They said, “Even if it’s a commemorative photo, this one is exceptional, so we want to get a beautiful shot of it. Tokyo Station is a famous place for wedding photos, and anyone can tell it’s Tokyo. We don’t have to travel far to take pictures. Since we are both from Tokyo, it is easy to understand and we can tell people who see the photos that we got married in Tokyo.

However, the location where wedding photos are taken is a public street. As long as there are no traffic violations such as obstructing passersby or ignoring traffic signals, there is no problem with taking pictures, but even so, there are many people who do not think highly of wedding photography.

Some people have actually been verbally abused by wedding photographers.

When we asked a person familiar with the police who have jurisdiction over the Tokyo Station area, he said, “It seems that we receive very few calls or complaints,” he continued.

Basically, the police will not do anything unless they receive a 110 call or a complaint. In a broad sense, wedding photography is the same as tourists taking pictures of Tokyo Station. So, basically, there is no need to submit an application for a road use permit. However, if you ignore traffic signals or block pedestrians, the police will have to act, so it is best to refrain from such behavior.

Although it would be rude to interfere with a wedding commemorative photo shoot as a milestone in one’s life, it seems that this situation is happening because of some ill-mannered bridal vendors.

In fact, on SNS

I think they are a bunch of idiots because the photographer and the bride were tongue-tied by the guy taking wedding photos at Nijubashi Bridge and Tokyo Station, saying they are in the way here. You guys are the ones in the way on a public street, so please be more modest.

[Claire] This is seriously disturbing. They’re taking pictures of the same composition, in the same outfit, and I don’t know what’s better. I’ll never forget being told to get out of the way because I’d be in the picture.

There were several reports of actual bridal vendors with bad manners who were verbally abusive and tongue-tied, such as the following.

Marriage is a once-in-a-lifetime event for many people. It is understandable that many people want to take beautiful pictures to remember the event, but shouldn’t they behave with good manners when taking pictures?