I had the pleasure of attending my Canadian friend’s wedding in Ichigaya. As with most weddings in Japan, it was a mixture of a traditional Japanese wedding and a traditional western wedding. What resulted was one of the most extravagant events that I’ve experienced in some time. The wedding itself took place in a chapel of the Christian variety, and there was even a small choir there to sing the amens, as well as a trumpet/cornet player. It was interesting to see the Japanese interpretation of western customs.
This was the first time that I’ve gotten to see Roger (the groom) since my stay in Japan last year, as well as the first time that Jake and I met up in Japan this time around. It was so great to finally get to see everyone again, I was absolutely thrilled to get to take part in this very important event. Even many of my Japanese friends have not had the opportunity to attend this kind of wedding. It was a once in a lifetime chance. I had a blast.
After the wedding, there was a formal reception, with almost endless courses: sushi, tofu, salmon carpaccio, steak, grilled fish, soup, and cake of course. Several people gave speeches, in both English and Japanese, and everyone ate while slides of the bride and groom were shown. One of the most interesting features of the reception was the announcer, who read profiles of Roger and Toshimi (the bride). The event played out almost as if they were receiving some kind of award. Everything was absolutely beautiful.
Of course, Sakura (Japanese Cherry blossom) was a huge feature of the wedding, seeing as it took place at the peak of cherry blossom season (more on Sakura later). The flowers were even in the candy that was given as gifts to the wedding guests.
The second party occurred an hour after the first, and the scene was much more relaxed. Let it be noted that the bride and groom changed clothing at least three or four times during the night (all formal attire). They also had little to no time to enjoy the plethora of tasty things that they spent so much time, energy, and money picking out, until the after party that is. The after party consisted of even more food, games, and of course, lots and lots of osake (alcohol). It was at a small Japanese restaurant, which was just big enough to fit all of the guests. Most of the best restaurants in Japan are like this. The small environment provides for a more inviting experience. The best bars in Japan are only large enough to fit 10-15 people comfortably; of course, there are normally twice as many people crammed inside. I wouldn’t have it any other way. This is representative of one of my favorite aspects of Japanese culture, the importance placed upon human interaction and companionship.