The Feast

Now I can't say I was looking forward to lunch. I had survived the raw chicken but I knew that the wedding feast would be something extra special. That fresh fish would be sourced in the morning and that the exact nature of the meal wouldn't known until then. This is, of course, was what worried me.

We walked from the shrine down to the river in light rain. We were all on a high and I admit to even singing and dancing in the middle of the bridge (no, the one sip of saki during the ceremony hadn't made me drunk but the glow of happiness did). If the photos appear of my rendition of singing in the rain appear - I promise I will post!

The scenery shrouded in mist like rain was beautiful, as if a photographer had put a soft focus filter on the lens. The hills' spring green rushed down to the river which was spanned by a bright orange bridge. The contrast in colours was stunning. However I can't provide a photo as the battery on my camera had died.

The walk to the restaurant took twenty minutes and I tried to take all the wonderful happy vibes to prepare myself. I didn't want to let Mark and Yumi down. (SueG - I don't think I explained why I was at the wedding or the relationships - Mark is DH's best friend. They went to university together. Mark was the best man at our wedding and the godfather of ds1. I met both DH and Mark on the same day 20 years ago tomorrow. Therefore when he told us that he and Yumi were getting married we wanted to be with them. He was such a special part of our wedding almost eighteen years ago it was a privilege to attend his.)

I digress. The garden leading to the restaurant was beautiful and now I realize very Japanese. We were greeting by beautiful women in kimonos and led to a special room. Each place setting was laid out precisely. Everything bar the chop sticks themselves had meaning including the chop stick 'rests' which were in a special knot shape to represent that the bond marriage cannot be untied. This knot was also used on the chopstick sleeve/envelope.

Each step of the feast had meaning from the opening toast. To Yumi filling Mark's sake cup - it was her first act for her husband as wife

The seven courses were exquisitely presented. Many times the fish was shown to us before cooking or not. I am sure by now you realize that the not cooking was what I was dreading. However, swallowing my fear and some sake I did eat my way through raw just about everything which included the extra special extra fat tuna, flounder, sea bream, lobster, abalone, pregnant octopus, and finally the sperm of sea bream.

Let's just say that I focused on the beautiful presentation (even plates that they were served on - each one specifically chosen for wedding feasts) and really enjoyed my sake!

PS - Until this trip I'd never had Japanese food and had avoided it like the plague. Now I realized I have missed out some wonderful but I'll continue to pass on the sperm of sea bream and a few other delicacies

Back to the Shinto Wedding - the Ceremony

I start with the photo I left you with last time - two sets of slippers facing the world together. After the hours of preparation Mark and Yumi walked through the rain to the shrine led by the two temple women. The rain somehow added to the timelessness of the occasion by blurring out the hard edges of the modern world. The scents of damp rich earth with bamboo filled the air on the short walk. The almost unearthly sound of the traditional Japanese music created a movie set like feeling as we arrived to the steps of the shrine. Everything felt familiar but so alien at the same time. Once in the shrine and in our seats Dh and I were left to experience the ceremony only through what we could feel and see. Yumi had explained a few pieces of the ceremony, but not enough for us to truly understand yet the actions were hauntingly similar. The saki drinking between the bride and groom reminded me of receiving the Eucharist during my own wedding. The melodious voice of the priest chanting made me think of hymns in Latin (equally unidentifiable but beautiful none the less). When Mark and Yumi exchanged vows in Japanese the magic truly occurred for me as the love they both share shined forth as Mark garbled his way through and Yumi valiantly tried to fight back the laughter. I can't explain how this more than any other part radiated their love for each other. The exchange of ring was/is universal.

Once the solemnity of the marriage was complete then the official photos began and sound of the rain falling, the tour guide chatting outside, and the sweet smell of damp wood penetrated the bubble of serenity. The photographer trying to place everyone exactly made me laugh and forget for a moment about what was to come - the wedding feast. I had faced raw chicken and survived but would the wedding feast defeat me???

Weddings continued....

So yesterday I spoke of the bride - today the groom. Most of his preparation was of a different sort. He had to master saying his vows in Japanese and do it well enough not to make the bride burst out in hysterical laughter! So while she was transforming from woman to bride he was struggling with a sheet of a phonetic approximation of the vows. Help did arrive....in the form of Yumi's best friend Yu and his parents (btw a huge thank you to Yu for some of his photos).

Mark's kimono was far less grand than Yumi's but the transformation was still great. Judging by the number of photos both Dh and I took we were most fascinated by his socks which were the first items to go on! The other thing that struck me was that skirt like garment that went over the first few layers reminded me of the fabric frequently used in the trousers of a morning suit.

Finally, here is another picture of the shoes/sandals of the bride and groom. I just love they way they are placed together facing out into the world as if from this point it is a joint journey - the solo one has finished. I am not sure if that was the intention but that is what I felt.

Tomorrow - the ceremony...

Weddings

Okay, I confess that I am a romantic at heart. I make no apologies for this. I believe in LOVE in all its forms and its power to change everything. So this past weekend was about many things, but most importantly it was about love and love's triumph. It was about celebration of all the wonderful things that make life worth living - love, friendship, marriage, joy, discovery.....

I haven't been able to post much while we were away and there is so much to share. I have puzzled about how to break the weekend down into bite size chunks and I don't know if I have it right, but as I have posted a few photos of the wedding I thought I would continue with one part of the day.

First, let me say for a woman, the wedding day can be the transforming moment. Not only do you change from single to married, but you have a valid reason to be the center of attention and to transform from ordinary woman to princess. It is not just the dress, hair and make-up but the focus of all the love and care of those around you that helps the bride to glow.

Now on Saturday morning in heavy rain (more about that later) we left Kyoto at 7:15 to be at the shrine in Uji. The ceremony was at 11:00. The journey takes 30 minutes. The rest of the time belonged to the bride bar a brief twenty minutes for the groom.

From 8:00 to 10:30 Yumi was transformed from a beautiful woman into a stunning bride. The process was a work of art and I am sure each step in the process had meaning. The end result was breath taking.....

I just want to say thank you to her for letting me be there and record the process. As she was finally turned to us fully dressed I fought back the tears. I remembered my day almost eighteen years ago and all the love that I felt. All that wonderful emotion was clear to see on her beautiful face.