A photographer was hard at work taking pictures of the bridal procession moving through Meiji Jingu Shrine

Photographer taking pictures of the bride's procession

On weekends at Meiji Jingu Shrine, there are so many weddings going on in rapid succession that one might think this was a wedding hall. Bride and grooms, led by Shinto priests, appeared one after another in the open space in front of the shrine and disappeared into the shrine pavilion where the wedding ceremony was to take place. Since this is a shrine, the wedding ceremony is of course a Shinto ceremony. The groom, dressed in a Haori hakama with crest, and the bride, in a white kimono and cotton hat, appear periodically and cross the open space among the worshippers. This is the so-called bridal procession. The solemn-looking bride and groom and their attendants slowly make their way to the shrine pavilion, attracting the curious eyes of the surrounding worshippers. It is a great opportunity to take pictures.

The wedding ceremony held here is a Shinto wedding ceremony, in which the bride and groom make vows to the Shinto deities. Considering that the deities enshrined at the shrine are Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken, a wedding ceremony at Meiji Jingu Shrine means that the couple will be married in front of Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken, with the Shinto priest reciting a prayer of marriage and offering Tamagushi (a small branch of the Shinto altar). When I imagine the scene, it seems somewhat like getting married in front of a strong-looking old man whom I have never met or talked to.

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