 Yanagimoto graduated from the 44th class of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy, placing 21st out of 95 cadets in 1916.As a midshipman, he was assigned to the cruiser , which made a long-distance navigational training cruise, visiting Esquimalt and Vancouver in Canada and San Francisco, San Pedro, Honolulu in the United States, Jaluit, Truk, Yap and Angaur in the South Seas Mandate, Hong Kong, and Magong, Keelung and Okinawa in Japan during 1917.On his return, he was assigned to the battleship .