A few weeks before everything shut down, we had photos taken at Fukushuen Garden in honor of Arabella’s first birthday.

I had never been to Fukushuen Garden before, but I’m really glad we decided to do the photo session there because it is gorgeous! The beaches in Okinawa are really incredible, but after a maternity and a family session at the beach, I wanted something with more of an Asian feel.

Though it’s in Japan, Fukushuen Garden is actually a traditional Chinese garden, which speaks to Okinawa’s heritage and the influence of both Japanese and Chinese cultures on the island. It’s in Naha, really close to some of Oki’s other tourist sites — like Kokosai Dori — and definitely worth visiting for the beautiful architecture. It’s very inexpensive to go in and not too big, so it won’t take a long time to walk around. You won’t regret it.

It’s always hard to decide what to wear for a photo session, especially with a whole family, but Heather told me this red Baby Gap dress of Arabella’s would look amazing at Fukushuen Garden. So, going from there, I pulled things out of my closet until I realized that this dress from Old Navy matched it almost perfectly! Then it was easy to find a black Hawaiian shirt and chinos in Toby’s closet.

We did do an outfit change, and I’ll share those photos in a separate post. How do y’all decide what to wear for family photos?

Outfit details: My dress: Old Navy (very similar). My shoes: Sam Edelman. Arabella’s dress: Gap Kids (no longer available, but I love this one and this one). Arabella’s cardigan: Smocked Auctions. Minnie Mouse in kimono: Disney store at Tokyo Disneyland. Toby’s shirt: Tommy Bahama (old, but this is similar). Toby’s pants: Vineyard Vines.

All pictures by Heather Johnson Photos.

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