You seem like a very friendly group so i am hoping some can help! I am english and getting married in england next year. We would very much like to travel to japan for our honeymoon and have a traditional wedding or marriage blessing at a shinto shrine. Problems being, neither of us speak any japanese, we have never been to japan before and will not be able to before the date, and really i don't know where to start. I have been told to get in contact with a shrine and speak to them, but i do not even know how to go about this and will be completely stuck anyway if their english isn't good.

We are prepared to spend between now and then learning as much japanese as we can!
Is there anyone you know of that can help me? Pretty pretty please

Keri-x-
keri_spring@yahoo.co.uk

to getting start, why don't you visit this website? http://www.meijikinenkan.gr.jp/english/

this is one of the famous shrine, so it must be little expensive but I am sure there are some english speaking stuff there.

Here are some pictures of life in a shinto shrine and some comments:
http://bosei.cc.u-tokai.ac.jp/~0alb3110/classwork/guide.html

I will try to contact a Japanese friend to get the details on a shinto wedding blessing only (without the whole weddding package).

By Cornelia on Friday, May 24, 2002 - 06:55 am:
>Dear Yako, I was wondering if you could check out the cost for a simple shinto wedding blessing at the Nezu shrine, (no kimonos and no guests).<

Here is Yako's answer:
__________
I was so curios to know that after you asked me!
So I stopped by the Nezu shrine to ask about it before work today. He said.... "Okimochi de!" that means, we accept money depending on how much you feel like to give us.
I don't know if you have such a occasion, but maybe it's kinda
Japanese strange custom. For example, you should bring money instead of a gift (or with gift)
if you are invited to a formal wedding party or attend a funeral.
Of course, the invitation card doesn't say anything about money.
But as a guest, I can tell you how much you need to bring. It depends on the relation-ship, place and so on, but we've experienced a lot.
In this case, nobody knows around us the certain amount of money appropriate for the shrine. I asked our customers tonight, "If you were asked "Okimochi de" in this case, how much would you give?".
The highest answer was 30,000yen.
We prefer odd numbers like 3000yen, 5000yen, 10000yen 30000yen, 50000yen, DO NOT use '7' for happy or sad events.

I have no idea that Y30,000 is common to give?!
Why don't you ask a question like I did tonight around you and check out how much they would like to give?
Anyway, the cost is......the money you would like to give!
__________

I like Nezu shrine very much. It is on the Chiyoda subway line at Nezu station. This is where I took my daughter for her 3 year old chichigosan celebration. I put only 2000 yen in the thank you envelope with the advice of my Japanese friends who were with me. The prayer took place inside two different rooms and lasted at least 15 minutes in all (which seemed long with a 3 year old!)
http://www.tokyowithkids.com/entertainment/shichigosan.html
I will take Yako's advice and ask a few more friends.

Hi there,

has anyone not Japanese married in Japan? We are interested in how a wedding in such a wedding village as Odaiba works (we will marry in November before our first baby will be born in December). It could be some fun - especially for our German friends. I don't know how to get any information as I do not speak Japanese.

Thanks a lot.

Hello,

Well I am from the USA but my husband is from Japan and we were married at Hakone Jinja and had our reception at a local Onsen Inn and the next day a hotel in Tokyo. However I am not sure about Odaiba. But hotels in Tokyo such as the Westin should have a wedding coordinator which you could make an appointment with an english speaking staff and there would be no commitment as to have the wedding there as you could say that you are shopping around. and therefore you can get an idea of how a wedding function operates here in Japan. If possible you should have a Japanese speaking friend accompany you as some details may be over looked or lost in translation because of language.

I highly doubt that the Odaiba wedding would have an english version text since not many foreigners are married here without at least one partner speaking the language. Maybe you should ask just in case?

Im sorry I am not much help but if you have any specific questions feel free to ask.

Karina