From Canada to Hakone: The Navraj & Gurpreet Proposal Story
First-time visitors to Japan often reach out with the same mix of excitement and uncertainty. The country is extraordinary, but the logistics, especially getting around, can feel overwhelming before you've even landed. Gurpreet's first message captured that feeling honestly: they had found the portfolio, loved the work, and was ready to plan a proposal but navigating Japan's transportation system for the first time while also keeping a surprise intact was more than they wanted to figure out on their own.
That's where the day took a different shape from most.
From Vancouver, Canada to Hakone
Gurpreet was coming from Vancouver with his partner, Navraj, and he had set his sights on the Hakone shrine for the proposal. The location was right. The challenge was getting there.
To avoid the crowds that build up at the shrine as the morning progresses, we agreed on a 6:30 AM arrival time in Hakone, which meant a 5:00 AM departure from Tokyo. For someone unfamiliar with the train and bus system, coordinating that kind of early-morning transfer while keeping a surprise from your partner is a lot to ask.
Luckily, we came up with the simplest solution: I would drive them myself, acting as a guide for the journey and handling everything from pickup to drop-off. It lifted Gurpreet's worry and turned what could have been a stressful morning into a relaxed ride through the Japanese countryside as the sun rose
The morning everything came together
Gurpreet had told Navraj only that they were heading somewhere for a photoshoot. Nothing more. No location, no hint of what was waiting at the end of the drive. For the entire journey from Tokyo to Hakone, Navraj had no idea where they were going or what was planned.
When we arrived, and she stepped out of the car into the peace and greenery of Hakone, her reaction was immediate. The nature, the stillness of the early morning, the shrine setting, it caught her completely off guard in the best possible way. Hakone has that effect on people who arrive there for the first time, especially at that hour when the crowds haven't yet appeared, and the place still feels like it belongs to whoever shows up.
With the shrine, the bridge, and the surrounding temple area as the backdrop, Gurpreet led Navraj to the spot and asked the question.
She was surprised, genuinely and completely, and the happiness between them afterward carried through the entire session.
We spent the two hours moving through the different parts of the location: the shrine itself, the bridge, and the quieter areas around the temple. Each offered something distinct in terms of framing and atmosphere, and having the space to ourselves at that hour meant we could take our time with each one without feeling rushed or crowded.
By the time the session wrapped up, the first visitors of the day were beginning to arrive. We had used the morning exactly right.
A morning remembered
After the shoot, I drove them back to Tokyo. By that point, Navraj and Gurpreet were engaged, relaxed, and working through the kind of happy disbelief that tends to follow a morning like that one. The drive back was quieter than the drive down, in the best possible way.
For couples visiting Japan for the first time who are worried about navigating the logistics of a proposal on top of everything else a new country asks of you, this is exactly the kind of thing I'm happy to help with. The proposal should be the only thing on your mind that day. Everything else can be handled.
Congratulations, Navraj and Gurpreet. Thank you for trusting me!
Planning your first trip to Japan and thinking about a proposal? Getting there shouldn't be the hard part. Reach out and let's take care of the details together so you can focus on what actually matters.
