37 FramesPlanning a Tokyo garden wedding? Discover how this intimate micro-wedding blended tradition, rain, and rooftop celebration across Tokyo. From The Capitol Hotel to a historic garden and Shinjuku skyline views.
Tokyo Garden Wedding
If you’ve ever dreamt of a Tokyo garden wedding, this might be the one that captures it all. Serenity, skyline, and story. When we think of eloping in Japan, Tokyo always makes the list. It’s where tradition and trend collide, where moss gardens meet rooftop bars, and where every story feels like a film in motion.
This time, it was an unforgettable
that felt like the whole city exhaled just for them.
Getting Ready at The Capitol
The day began at The Capitol Hotel Tokyu, a place with history stitched into its walls. Once the Tokyo Hilton … yes, The Beatles famously stayed here during their 1966 Japan tour … it’s now reborn as one of the city’s most fabulously modern hotels. Suites framed by skyline views, quiet corridors scented with cedar, a calm before the creative storm.
In adjoining suites, the bride and her maid of honour played music, wrote last-minute vows, and sipped champagne while the groom and his best man fine-tuned their speeches across the hall. Laughter. Protein drinks and coffee. That nervous joy you only feel once.
A Garden Ceremony in the Rain
When it was time, the boys left first, walking through slick city streets toward a historic Japanese house and garden … one we first discovered over a decade ago on a Nikon shoot. Even then, we knew it was something special. A hidden monument to timeless design, now one of our favourite places to marry.
There was no first look.
Just a traditional meeting, the kind where hearts race a little faster.
Rain fell steadily, turning the garden a deeper shade of green. Two violinists played a modern hit beneath the eaves, bridging eras just as this couple had. Old meets new, ceremony meets city. The bride appeared through the drizzle, her dress catching the light, her steps slow and sure across stone paths.
By the time vows ended, the rain stopped. Just like that. As if Tokyo had been holding its breath.
Kagami-Biraki, Bento & Laughter
After the ceremony came a kagami-biraki. A joyful sake toast to break open the day… followed by a perfectly packed bento lunch on tatami floors. Umbrellas leaned against wooden pillars, and the sound of laughter replaced the rain. The intimacy of it all was everything a micro-wedding should be: heartfelt, simple, beautifully human.
From Garden Calm to City Pulse
Then came the change of pace only Tokyo can deliver.
From silence to soundtrack. From moss to neon.
They headed to Shinjuku, the heart of the city, for rooftop cocktails and dinner at JAM 17, perched high above the skyline atop Hotel Groove in Kabukicho Tower. The views stretched forever. The wind caught her veil. The cocktails were, of course, iconic. We were lucky to be the first to plan a wedding dinner on that rooftop. It felt like Tokyo herself was celebrating.
A bouquet toss. A colour-wash light show that shimmered through the night. And, naturally, the stomp across Shinjuku Crossing on the way there. The most Tokyo tradition of them all.
Conclusion: Rain, Light & Tokyo Memory
This was a Tokyo wedding in its purest shape: small, intentional, emotionally overloaded.It was a day that asked us to lean in … to rain, to gardens, to the first view, to Tokyo’s pulse.
If Tokyo garden weddings is a dream you’re carrying, let this serve as proof: the city will hold it. The light will come. The story will always be worth it.
Why Micro-Weddings in Tokyo Work
People often ask about the difference between an elopement and a micro-wedding in Japan.
An elopement here is just the couple.
A micro-wedding is intimate. Usually up to ten guests. Small enough to stay personal, big enough to feel shared.
This day proved that scale doesn’t define meaning. The story does. The flow does. Tokyo does.
A Perfect Tokyo Plan
Morning: Get ready in style at The Capitol Hotel Tokyu (ask for a suite with skyline views).
Ceremony: A traditional Japanese house and garden … private, cultural, and cinematic in any weather.
Lunch: Bento, champagne, and sake in the garden.
Evening: Rooftop cocktails and a reception dinner at JAM 17, Hotel Groove Shinjuku … city views, neon, music, and magic.
It’s everything a Tokyo garden wedding should be – intentional, iconic, unforgettable.
Pro Tips & Planning Notes
- Choose a hotel with good light and separation (so prep moments feel cinematic).
- Settle on a date so we can reserve your private garden house / historical site early… they book fast.
- Plan for rain creatively … umbrellas, pauses, live music that can handle it.
- Time your transitions: garden → city → rooftop needs buffer.
- Use live music to bridge emotional tones (classical, modern fusion).
- Let the direction counterpoint the weather … rain becomes texture, not obstacle.
From Us
We’ve loved this location for over a decade. Ever since that first Nikon shoot when we wandered the gardens and thought, this would be the perfect place to marry.
Seeing it come to life with our couples, in rain and rhythm, was everything we hoped for.
Thank you, Tokyo, for the endless inspiration.
And to our incredible couples – for trusting us to tell your story, your way.
With love,
The 37 Frames Team
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