Here comes the bride: Japanese weddings, Shinto style

Japan, as in many countries, has its own unique and traditional way of celebrating weddings — the Shinto way. Despite the growing popularity of Western-style weddings, many couples still opt to get married in a Shinto ceremony, wishing to have the same beautiful wedding that their parents and grandparents had. Nowadays, Shinto weddings are infused with Western practices like exchanging vows and rings and cutting cake, and it is in such weddings that the elaborate old-age traditions mix with modern-age romance.

Many Japanese marriages have resulted from mi-ai, and it is for this reason that mi-ai is still widely practiced today. Mi-ai is an interview between a man and a woman, with a view to marriage. It is arranged by a nakoudo or a go-between. It is not compulsory for the two sides to wed; mi-ai simply provides an opportunity for a man and a woman to get to know each other well enough so they can make an informed decision regarding future family life.

If and when the two sides decide to go ahead with the relationship after some time of getting to know each other, the nakoudo arranges for the engagement to take place formally with a ceremony called yui-no. The families of both sides meet to dine and wine together (wine, meaning sake, of course) as a sign that the two families will soon be united.