She did

I finally got the photos from Saori's wedding on the site. There are a bunch more here.

The wedding was held on a little hill nearby my old apartment in Sakaide. The chapel looks over the Seito bridge, which probably could have been romantic for Saori and P if they hadn't invited so many guests. The wedding itself lasted all of about seven minutes. Had I known I wouldn't have been saving my shots.

The first party afterword lasted quite a bit longer, but wasn't a "dance into the night" ordeal as a weding reception in the US. We left the reception hall while it was still light, I went to the bride's mom's place to grab my stuff and change into my party gear for the nijikai, or "second party". This was a bit more relaxed, held in a nice Izakaya, everyone wearing jeans.

The nijikai is for friends and acquaintances who didn't get invited to the actual ceremony and reception. It keeps the cost down for everyone I would guess. I don't know how much it cost Saori and P to per guest at the wedding, but to be a guest is a couple hundred bucks. (remember, we didn't have to get them any martini glasses). It's a nice way to invite and include some more casual acquaintances without making them pay all that money.

After the nijikai a couple of us went on to the third venue, and by the fourth party, our numbers had dwindled to five. I think I was the first to notice the that groom had disappeared, but the bride was still with us. When I asked, Saori just said, "Oh, he went back a while ago".

Around 3am getting a taxi in a town like Marugame would have taken over an hour, but were able to hitch a ride back to the hotel with some stranger we met at the bar. Everyone really wanted to see the VIP room at the Sakaide Grand Hotel, so Saori let us all in where we found her new husband sitting at the edge of the bed in his underwear watching Speed Racer cartoons. The bride bringing lots of friends back to the hotel must be a Japanese custom, because the honeymoon sweet had a large meeting table with eight chairs around it.

We didn't stay long though, and I had to be up at the crack of dawn to be on a ferry to Kobe, so my story ends there.

* * *

In Japan, people don't usually give the newlyweds a bunch of gifts. (I guess they don't drink as many margarittas here). Instead, the couple gives each one of the guests a little gift bag. This is what was in mine. It's funny that I don't remember eating that cake... let's see, I left Shikoku on ferry to Kobe, while my then-roommate Kazuyo carried my suit and my gift bag back to Tokyo. Come to think of it, that's the last time I saw those cakes.

The interesting one is that catalog. When I first opened it I was angry at whatever company prepared the gift package... I'm sure Saori forked out a lot of yen for these gifts... you would think they would give her a bag without an advertisement in it! A while later someone explained to me that the catalog is actual for me pick something for a gift for myself. I haven't decided yet. It's a big deal... what if I get the folding director's chair that can fit in my backpack when I go to the park, but a couple days later I hear on the news that tea is actually a carcinogen? I'll be kicking myself for not getting the coffee maker.