by the seashore.

Share/Bookmark

In a traditional Japanese ceremony at Itsukushima Shrine (厳島神社), on May 30, my good friends Alex and Yumi tied the knot.

 I was invited as one of 3 guests to the intimate ceremony.Modern Japanese people often opt for the modern style wedding celebrations held in elaborate new buildings designed specifically for these events for 10s or 100s of people.  Having been to one of these about 3 years ago I was interested in the old school style. 

After morning photos with the professional photographer (bride and groom fully dressed), preparations for the ceremony take place about an hour before the actual ceremony in a small room in the temple.  Normally the strict rules and procedures are explained, practised, explained again and practised again (like all things traditional Japanese) with only the bride, groom and family members.   Being my first experience with this type of wedding, I was lucky enough to also participate in this briefing as my interpretation skills were required for Alex’s family members.

Although Alex had expressed to me his concerns regarding his Japanese vows on several occasions, like the entire ceremony, was delivered smoothly without any problems.

 Despite the thunderstorms and heavy rain in the morning, the skies cleared in the afternoon allowing for another round of photos to be taken outdoors with the floating torii (in above photo) as backdrop ending a beuatiful wedding.

Retiring to the ryokan for refreshments, the wedding party having travelled from Nagoya and Ehime, enjoyed the beautiful views that make Miyajima one of Japan’s top 3 views.

 Congratulations to Alex and Yumi!

Share/Bookmark

After a tough week, turned out to this small matsuri (祭り = Festival) in support of some friend’s kids, who were performing in the parade and live stage. Like all festivals in Japan, these community building events are a buzzing display of local food, culture and entertainment.

Quickly grabbing a glance at the parade route online, made it just in time to grab a spot on the side of the road to take a few snaps. Highly professional performances, fine tuned over weeks of practise, made up the parade. My friend’s kids dancing school act was no exception in the 28 degree heat.

Satsuki Matsuri(さつき祭り), meaning the May Festival is held before the start of the rainy season in Japan. Regular festival food is served from the numerous stalls all supporting local organisations. Personally I had a not so healthy lunch comprising of squid, sausage, fried chicken, french fries, all washed down with sprite and Japanese rice tea.

After lunch sat down to watch the stage acts whilst catching up with friends. At 3pm, it was time for the dance school’s stage performance.

After saying good byes, it was back home to nurse my sunburnt arms and neck, something that hasn’t had to be done the last five years.

On a side note (for the camera people), the amount of camera gear being wielded by amateurs was unbelievable. My view finder would be obstructed by men in the 70′s and 80′s with 1D MKIIs with 70-200 2.8s on more than a few occasions. It confirmed my suspicions that there are many camera mad Japanese. The good thing about this is that it doesn’t make me stand out at all when pulling out my 30D.

Share/Bookmark