by Ken Tanaka

Created on: April 20, 2008   Last Updated: January 11, 2009

It's been said the Japanese are "born Shinto, married Christian, and buried Buddhist."It's amusingly true.

Here we will take a brief look at the recent trend of Christian weddings and learn a little about traditional Shinto weddings. It is worth noting that elements of west and east are often blended in these weddings so that they often closely resemble each other. However, the incompatibles are that Christian weddings are conducted by a pastor and held in a chapel, and Shinto weddings are conducted by a priest and held in a temple.

The Japanese are not a devoutly religious people, and most see no harm in being married Western style in a Christian chapel. Western-style weddings have become increasingly popular, both bride and groom wanting to feel like they are "in a movie" as one wedding planner so concisely put it. In addition, western style weddings are often cheaper than a Japanese wedding, not to mention that they are considered brighter, more upbeat, and more romantic.

The bride of a Christian wedding ceremony will wear a western wedding dress, and the groom will wear a tuxedo in like manner. In Shinto wedding ceremonies both bride and groom will wear traditional kimonos, but western dresses and suits are now perfectly acceptable.

The Christian ceremony is usually conducted in Japanese interspersed with English, and the audience, regardless of their religion, will unanimously chorus "amen" on queue when called for. The pastor will read the "Love Chapter" from First Corinthians, which meets with warm reception. Then, the guests are required to stand and, if it pleases them, sing with the aid of the provided hymnals. A staple hymn is "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" sung in Japanese, and of course, "Amazing Grace".

In addition to Wagner's Wedding March, which is played during the entrance of the bride, the choir pianist will play popular western love songs as background music. Popular tunes include "My Heart Will Go On", "The Rose", "I Will Always Love You" and "To Love You More". Ironically, these songs are rarely themed on the happiness of marriage, but instead on unrequited or broken love. Blissfully ignorant in an expedient language barrier, the bride and groom do not seem to mind as they exchange rings and kiss.

The exchange of rings is often incorporated into Shinto wedding ceremonies after the groom reads his pledge to his bride. The kiss, though, is one feature of the Christian wedding that is never included in Shinto weddings. Even in a Christian wedding,

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