going to the chapel...

Besides taking pictures of cultural oddities when visiting another country, I also like to see how weddings are done in other places. Fortunately for me, Lori and I stumbled upon a dozen or more weddings while visiting the Shinto Meiji shrine in Tokyo one Saturday afternoon. Weddings in Japan seem to be complicated endeavors (aren't they everywhere?). Japan has had two main influences, Buddhism and Shinto, and people seem to embrace both. Japanese tend to turn to Shinto for events related to life (weddings, celebration of a baby's birth or the New Year) and Buddhism for events related to death (funerals, remembrance of one's ancestors) and mix in a little Christianity for weddings as well...kind of like a Religion Buffet.

The Japanese bride wears a white kimono and an elaborate headpiece that serves to bring good luck to the couple. A white hood is attached to the kimono, which the bride wears like a veil. Japanese grooms wear black kimonos. I've read that there is a ritual of drinking 9 cups of sake (and then singing karaoke, just kidding!) which unites the couple and the families.

At the reception, the bride changes into a red kimono and even possibly into a western-style gown. Certain wedding days are considered lucky, which I'm sure explains why we saw so many weddings at the Shrine on this day. Here are some pics of Adam & I and several of the weddings I saw in Japan.


Adam and I...






















a couple under the red parasol that is common at Japanese weddings...

















the happy couple...





















Do they look scared? Or maybe just preparing for the 9 cups of sake?

















Which one is the bride?


I wish I had taken more wedding pictures. However, as much as I love traveling, I hate being a camera-toting tourist and though there was no way I would ever fit in while in Japan, I was often times reserved in my picture taking. I guess next time I go to Japan (Adam willing), I'll be sure to be crazy with the camera.