A Japanese Wedding!
My good friend Aya from freshman year of college recently got married and I was invited to the wedding. Because I had never been to a Japanese wedding before it was really exciting to have the opportunity to experience such an event. While traditionally Japanese wedding ceremonies were held in a Shinto shrine today many chose to celebrate the occasion Western style in either a hotel or wedding chapel.
Aya’s wedding took place in in a hotel near Shiga Prefectures's Lake Biwa, a sister lake of the Great Lakes. For the wedding ceremony Aya was dressed in a beautiful white wedding gown, but once the service had finished she slipped away and changed into an evening gown and then again into a Japanese kimono for the dinner reception. Dinner was a delicious full course meal with everything from steak to sashimi and it lasted several hours. While we ate we watched 2 slide shows, listened to long speeches, and both karaoke and original songs preformed by friends and family. Various traditional Japanese customs were also preformed, such as one Shinto practice where the newly married couple breaks open a barrel of Japanese sake with a wooden mallet. This event represents an opening to harmony and good fortune for a life long of happiness as husband and wife.
After dinner everyone made their way onto the garden roof of the hotel to witness a firework display in the distance just as the sun was setting. Then, after counting from 10 to 1 the entire garden lit up with lights as everyone cheered for my friend and her new husband. Illumination and fireworks definitely added a little charismatic fairytale feel to the wedding – it was really nice!
Lastly, instead of giving gifts to the couple in Japan, money is presented to help cover the costs of the wedding. Gifts are still given, however, it's just that the guests receive the gifts, not the bride and groom. I was given a bottle of sake, 2 cakes, some Japanese snacks, and a catalog gift. The way the catalog gift works is that guests are able to choose any gift from any one of the retailers listed within the catalog and then mail off for it or order over the internet. Some of the more interesting choices included: horseback riding , onsen packages, and even an hour of English lessons at Geos, a private English company in Japan. It was a tough decision, but I went with the sleeping bag as soon I have aspirations to do a little biking and camping tour in Kyushu ( I’ll tell you more about the details later).
All in all, I had a great time at the wedding! It was nice to do a little traveling, make some new friends, and see old ones at the same time. Congratulations Aya and I want to thank you and your family for taking such good care of me while visiting. I look forward to seeing you all again soon.
