It must be said that
most Japanese are not religious, though almost without
exception wedding ceremonies are conducted in accordance
with the ancient traditions of Shinto, Christianity
or, in rare cases, Buddhism. Shinto weddings are
the most common. Previously conducted at one's family's
shrine, today most marriages are performed in a
shrine built in a modern hotel.
A Shinto Wedding
Generally, only the bride
and groom, their immediate families,
and the go-betweens attend the religious
part of a Shinto wedding. After the
priest's prayers to the deities (in
classical language), the groom makes
his marriage oath. Next, the couple
performs the sansan-kudo exchange of
nuptial cups, then exchanges rings (a
relatively recent innovation). The entire
ceremony is surprisingly short, perhaps
20 minutes.
The
bride, groom and go-betweens offer
sprigs of the sacred sakaki tree
to the deities.
A Buddhist Wedding
Japan is, in a sense,
a Buddhist country, but the religion
is associated more with funerals than
with weddings. Buddhist weddings a performed
in large temples, with the higest-ranking
priest officiating. The priest reports
the couple's intensions to the altar,
and there is an exchange of rings (as
in the Christian tradition and sake
cups (as in the Shin ceremony). One
difference from other ceremonies, though,
is the offering of incense.
All
those attending have Buddhist
rosaries (juzu) .
A Christian Wedding
Less than
1% of Japan's population is Christian,
but many young couples think a Christian
church wedding is "in". One
advantage is that friends can also be
present at the actual wedding, unlike
in the Shinto ceremony.
Sometimes, the couple will be asked
to attend religion classes some time
before the wedding.
結婚式〜結婚式のいろいろ〜 
