Due to their rigid formula and unrelenting adherence to time, Japanese weddings can often be uncomfortable and overly serious affairs. As such, lightheartedness may not see the light of day until the second party, and any act of spontaneity is simply out of the question. A strict sense of decorum that in many ways made the post-ceremony scene below all the more endearing.
Greeted by a large group of strangers that very quickly formed around them, the young, rickshaw driven newlyweds were treated to spontaneous applause and joyously uninhibited encouragement. All of which resulted in a wonderfully out of the ordinary moment that made their surprised looks all the brighter.
Taki says
I think this is the same place 🙂
http://www.oldphotosjapan.com/en/photos/612/asakusa-nakamise-brick
Lee says
That’s the place!
Hans ter Horst says
Love it! Love their smiles
Lee says
Cheers!
It was a genuinely lovely moment. Applause, smiles, hand shakes and back patting. Never seen anything quite like it to be honest.
MrSatyre says
Boy, you said it about the rigid customs! I watched a bride prepared for her wedding at Meiji Shrine and it was like watching a painting in progress. Everything had to be precisely so, down to the distance of her eyebrows to the brim of her hat. I have a picture of that somewhere…
Lee says
Yeah, I’ve seen similar preparations. Certainly seems to take a lot of the fun out of it. The more modern, ‘Christian-style! Affairs aren’t much different either. Organised and conducted to an almost military precision.
Hans ter Horst says
I think I mentioned earlier, I did have a Shinto ceremony in Shiogama Shrine and it took more than 2 hours for my wife to get dressed in her wedding kimono (the other style from the one shown above) and about an hour to get me dressed. When we walked to the shrine underneath the large, red paper umbrella, there were shouts of “Nippon Ichi!” and applause. But when we visited Meiji Jingu last year and were amazed by the constant parade of weddings, it was indeed a solemn affair for all of them.
Lee says
That’s good to hear you got a similar reaction. I’d never seen anything like it before, so assumed it was a rarity. Strangely reassuring to know it’s not.
I’ve seen a good few smiles and general jollity at Meiji Shrine, but only after everything was done and dusted and it was just family and friends taking photos. Possibly more relief than anything!
MrSatyre says
One of the best parts of the wedding I witnessed at Meiji was the incredible diversity in style between the wedding families’ relatives and what I assumed were the friends. One group was totally conservative in dress and demeanor, the other was dressed like extras out of a Fast and Furious meets The Godfather Pt.1, laughing and talking during the processions (but thankfully not during the ceremonies).
Lee says
Excellent. Never seen anything like that at Meiji Shrine. Or anywhere else for that matter.
Good on them for enjoying it, although the family may not have done!
Jeffrey says
Having been to a few of those, I think they are much worse, really. If it were just family and friends rather than all the giri invites and not three changes of clothing, the bride and groom might actually enjoy themselves and it wouldn’t cost the typical $10-15K.
Lee says
Yeah, it’s an awful lot of money to pay for an occasion that seems to be organised to the wishes of the wedding company, rather than the actual couple.