How often does one get to be up close and personal to a Shinto wedding ceremony? In all my days I think I have "met" just one. And we've never actually met!
At the time I was overwhelmed, jetlagged, hot (Japan likes things 70 degrees and warmer, probably due to the average 3% body fat of all of its citizens), scared, frustrated, and any number of other emotions that come with being a stranger in a strange land. Things were also happening so fast! We were on the grounds of Meiji shrine and almost the entire family had already purified themselves in the water before I had even thought to take my camera out of the bag and begin shooting.
I'll spare all the gory details because while the ceremony was different, it was also very similar to wedding ceremonies around the world. Derin looked dapper and Sachiko was beautiful. They stood in front of everyone (actually, between everyone) and officials officiated. Bells were shaken, sake was drunk, leaves were twisted, heads were bowed. For the record, the sake was delicious and nestled very nicely in our empty stomachs. Afterwards we gathered in the shrine's big photo studio and somehow the Japanese attendees and he American guests were able to reach a perfect understanding without knowing a word of the others' language. Photographers and their practices of blinding their subjects and taking a million shots when everyone wants to go get some food is, apparently, completely universal. Additionally, a good photographer will always make you laugh, regardless of if s/he speaks your language!
I am absolutely certain that photographers everywhere think the same thought at some point of their life: "Dude, shooting this group is like herding cats."
The photos that were taken pre-reception were as crazy and bright and full of cheerful smiles and family pride as any church wedding I had seen. We just laughed more at our shared efforts to speak English, or Japanese. Dinner was a seemingly endless flow of Japanese haute cuisine. I was stuffed and content and in the company of some of my oldest friends -- people I had known in some very troubling times of my life and almost never thought I'd see again. And how funny to think that some of them live an hour away from me and it took going to Tokyo to see them again, after 10 years!
We met new friends and had a glorious adventure walking through the rain in Shibuya afterwards. I was left happy, warm, and fuzzy and that weekend bonded over strange pickled delicacies and new libations at the izakayas. Befriending individuals from such different backgrounds is nourishing for the mind and soul: for example I have now gotten to know someone who must be the first individual that I have ever known in any sort of capacity who has never been to the United States. Realizing this was very odd for me and made me sad for our wars and the condition of politics today. He is not different from anyone I have befriended in the US, which is (in a way) even odder and sadder. It makes me feel very tired and almost.... trippy. How strange life is, and how different it can be for each and every one of us! While some people think I am well-traveled, I am nothing compared to so many people on this planet. Sometimes I feel so intelligent and sometimes I feel so dumb because I am fluent in only one language and have only lived in one country my entire life.
I'm not sure what the take-home message was, except that I am supremely grateful to my friends for getting married and allowing me to experience all of these things and meet such people. I know that this was not their intent but thank you anyway. And a million heartfelt congratulations. :)
Gallery of the day
1 comments:
"Dude, shooting this group is like herding cats." You crack me up. It sounds like you learned a lot more than photography on this trip. Great shots but was there really any doubt you would do great? I mean from someone besides yourself of course.
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