Wedding in 大阪 (OSAKA)

So, I have been so very busy lately, and I believe it is because I have tried doing too many things. So recently, I have started up a new part-time job. I was already teaching a Japanese Professor of Economics at OKAYAMA University, but now I'm about to start teaching kids, age 4 - 11, as well.


A while back, actually right after I got back from my month long excursion throughout Japan, I was invited to a wedding. This was a first for me, and as well as all the EPOK (Exchange Program OKAYAMA) students here. It was such a pleasant surprise, and I will never forget the scenes for the rest of my life.


The event took place back in April, so it has been quite some time...



April 10th - 11th, 2010.




So, a few weeks prior to my large trip around Japan, I was informed of a wedding that a friend would like me to attend. I was wondering what type of wedding it was, and it was for her older brother. The lovely couple are photoed above.


Finding out about this event really did excite me, but it put some worries in my mind as well. It was the first time that I would be going to any type of formal event in Japan. As luck would have it, I did not bring a suit to Japan with me from the U.S.




Therefore, I was required to go out and buy a suit. As easy as this may sound, it was quite the event. I'm not the smallest guy in our E.P.O.K. gang, and the Japanese are not the biggest people in the world.


This worried me, because I was wondering how I was going to be able to get a suit! Just a little hint, if you are of regular Japanese size, then Japan is the place for you to get a suit. They cost a little more than $100, and are fitted for just a few dollars more. If you are in the country, I really recommend buying a few suits.



After getting the suit, and making sure it fit correctly, I was relaxed until the day of. The wedding was going to take place in OSAKA. This means that I had to get up extra early on the day of and prepare to go.


I woke up at 05:00 hours on April 10th, 2010 to get ready and go to OSAKA. The plan was to meet the parents and my friend at the train station at 07:00 hours. After eating a small breakfast, taking a shower, shaving, and getting dressed, I made my way to the station by foot.




I was debating whether or not to take my bicycle, because I was required to take photos at the event (that was my wedding gift to them). Therefore, I had my Canon 40D, 24 - 70 mm f2.8L, flash tripper, 2 flashes, and a ton of batteries. It weighed quite a bit, and the bicycle would be very helpful, but it would also mean that I would have to pay for parking...


I decided to walk, which in the end was a good choice, and started out towards the train station. It was in hopes that I would be able to catch a cab right next to my school. Luck be that there were NO taxis anywhere near the school, and I walked all the way to a taxi stop before getting into one. I was 10 minutes late, and I felt like a fool.




Well, at least I made it. It was my first intro to the parents, and I'm sure they were not impressed. Dam, I wish there was a way to redo a first impression! Oh, well! During the bullet train ride to OSAKA, I found out my friend was going to have her TOEFL test tomorrow morning.


I decided to help her out with the studying. I asked her various questions and spoke with her in as much English as possible. It was hard trying not to slip back into Japanese, especially since her parents didn't speak that much En.




We arrived in OSAKA early and were able to get to the wedding location early. After arriving there we were greeted by my friends older brother. He walked us to a waiting area, and then went to go get changed. The girls waited for a moment and then went to go get changed into their KIMONO.


The event was held a beautiful location, and looking around I was in awe. They really do know how to make a place look beautiful for a special event. The food, which was photoed above, was delicious. We ate all sorts of different types of food. It was a full coursed meal.



The event was far longer than I thought it would be. I was quite curious as to why they told me that they would put me up in a hotel room for a night. The understanding came only after I realized that I would be going to an after, after party.


If there is one thing that the Japanese know how to do, it is party. Not to defer too much from the wedding story, I am a part of the OKAYAMA University Photo Club, and they like to party. Once, when I decided to join in on the festivities, they went to four IZEKAYAs and a bar. It was continuous drinking from one place to the next.




Back to the wedding! So after the event and the party in OSAKA, we went to an IZEKAYA for another party and dinner in KOBE. As if the 7-9 courses from lunch wasn't enough, again it was an all you can eat event. The family would just keep putting dishes in front of me! I was in heaven.


At this point, some of the Japanese friends of the family realized that I could speak a little Japanese and started to speak with me. They probably thought I couldn't speak at all, because I was introduced as "an American friend".




The realization didn't come before, because they only heard me speaking with my friend in English. It probably was a slip up on my part, that they realized that I could understand most of what they were saying.


After they realized that I could understand them, I was brought into the conversation. They asked a lot of questions about where I'm from and what I was doing in Japan. It was interesting to talk about the situation, and how they want their kids to do the same.




It was fun speaking to the families about Japan and America, and I didn't even realize that late afternoon, changed to late night. The kids were getting tired, and we were going to leave.


So, I now understood why I was going to be spending the night away from home. We walked to the hotel, and went to our respective rooms.




In the morning I was awoken by my friend, telling me to come eat breakfast with the family. I went down to eat, and wished my friend the best of luck on her test. I went to go explore OSAKA after that, and didn't get home until late.


This is the part where I'm happy that I didn't take my bike. I was exhausted once I arrived back at the station. I took a taxi home, and didn't have to worry about the hassle of leaving my bike!




This was an event which will stay with me for the rest of my life. It was such an amazing honor and privilege to be invited to a traditional wedding. FYI: Weddings are super expensive in Japan. Just multiply the average weddings cost in America by 3 and you have a cheap wedding here.


More photos click HERE!


I wish to end this post with a message to the 井伊 family:


さちゃんへ、
私はすごくうれしいてす。本当にありがとうございます。これからもよろしくお願いします。















For the rest of the photos please click HERE!

成人の日 - SEIJIN NO HI - Coming of Age 2010

So, this is probably the fastest update that I have done in a while. I was testing myself to see how fast I could put something up. These photos were taken two days ago, downloaded onto the computer and slight touch ups yesterday, and now they are up. It took me a little while to upload the photos, but with the internet as slow as it is, I think that things are good. Hopefully, I can get more posts on! On with the post.....


January 10, 2010


Although, it was a day early there was an event that was simply amazing to me. It is called "SEIJIN NO HI", or the Coming of Age Day ceremony. In Japan, one of the biggest ages for a person is HATACHI, or twenty. The actual day was January 11, 2010, but OKAYAMA decided to hold the ceremony on a Sunday, instead of a Monday.







The event was held at OKAYAMA Dome. It is this large half Dome in the middle of nowhere. It was a 5-7 minute train ride, from the OKAYAMA main station. The station that everyone was getting out at was KITANIGASE. It was then a 2-3 minute walk to the Dome.






Now, I got the information about this event the day of at about 0100 Hrs. It was from my friend NORIKO, who looked up the information for me and then sent it to me. Knowing that a friend wanted to go with me I sent her the info immediately after I received it, and got a positive response.






So bright and early, at 1100 Hrs we met up and made our way to the station. The trip was interesting seeing that it was Jen's first time riding a DENSHA here, and mine going to the KITANIGASE station. We knew we were on the right train though when a bunch of girls get on the train all dolled up in their KIMONOs.





When we arrived at the station, we were engulfed in a bunch of 20 year old's in their awesome fashion statements. Jen and I just followed them to the Dome, not that we couldn't see it from the station.





Once at the dome, we saw quite the array of colors and styles of KIMONOs and suits. It was really quite the site. There were also many types of stalls and vendors as well. Jen and I walked around the kids, took many photos, and ran into a few of our friends while there.





Feeling a bit cold, we decided to go into the Dome to see what they had going inside. There were all sorts of things inside, mainly about making a better world. It was interesting. We then went and sat down in the bleachers.






On the stage, there were various performances. It started out with a bunch of kids that were in a band playing music and dancing, then moved to a movie that a bunch of college students made, and finished with URAJA dancers. There was some things that filled the times between, but they were not that noteworthy. Anyhow, enjoy the photos, and hope to post again soon.


For more photos click HERE.