Photo Friday: Japanese Wedding Couple in Traditional Dress

by jenjenk on December 15, 2011

There are so many things I love about this photo of a Japanese wedding couple in Miyajima, Japan.  I love the old traditional style of Japanese wedding garb – the extremely heavy bride’s dress [furisode kimono] and groom’s lighter but still confining hakama. I also love the big dSLR camera that the groom has in his lap that represents the new.

What amazed me the most was how hot and humid it was that day.  The Japanese wig [katsura] that the bride is wearing is extremely heavy and unless it is custom fit to your head is ridiculously uncomfortable. The weight of the multiple layers of kimono, along with the confining sash [Obi] sometimes makes it hard to breathe if you’re not used to it [which most modern young couples are not].  Yet she’s still glowing and smiling.

Happy marriage, lovely couple!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

{ 24 comments… read them below or add one }

Annie - FootTracker December 20, 2011 at 9:48 pm

X_X Their bride’s wedding outfit is beautiful and graceful….but I would not want to wear that outfit during summer..(and I wonder how the bride goes to the bathroom XD) I really like guys wearing their traditional outfit too XDD very manly and sexy!

I heard royal family members’ bride use to wear 12 layers for their wedding outfit….O_O I would like to see that in person some day.
Annie – FootTracker recently posted..Taiwan (1) History Untold by TextbooksMy Profile

Reply

eileen ludwig December 21, 2011 at 8:39 am

Nice photo and history of this practice in Japan – Traditions are nice and sometimes the sacrifices needed to do them is important
eileen ludwig recently posted..Buy Problogger one or three ebooks Begin, Build, Online MarketingMy Profile

Reply

Peggy December 21, 2011 at 2:42 pm

I wore one at my wedding… and I don’t remember going to the bathroom!?!?!? lol
but I didn’t wear the Katsura.. Kinda wish I did… but I’m poor. LOL
=) Hugs!

Reply

Mary @ The World Is A Book December 23, 2011 at 12:16 am

Beautiful picture! The smile on her face is priceless. We saw a few wedding processions at the Meiji Shrine in Tokyo last July. Just like you, I was amazed at how they were able to wear all the wedding attire(and some had head pieces) on such a hot and humid day. Every one of them though had a smile on their face and their makeup was still flawless.
Mary @ The World Is A Book recently posted..Comic Strip Wall Art in BrusselsMy Profile

Reply

Mark Wiens December 23, 2011 at 3:51 am

Cool shot, love the diversity of the traditional and the modern mixing… if you hadn’t mentioned it, I would have had no clue it was a wig!
Mark Wiens recently posted..12-Hour Kuala Lumpur Street Food BingeMy Profile

Reply

Jarmo December 23, 2011 at 7:26 am

You’ve really nicely captured the moment, great shot! They really put effort into those outfits and the photos, saw also quite a few of the wedding couples when I was myself in Japan.
Jarmo recently posted..Waiting for Christmas in Hong KongMy Profile

Reply

Dallas December 23, 2011 at 4:36 pm

This is a gorgeous photo. I like traditional weddings, but there’s no way I could endure her heavy bridal attire on a hot day.
Dallas recently posted..What To Consider When Thinking About Studying AbroadMy Profile

Reply

RON | fliptravels.com December 25, 2011 at 4:38 pm

im now a notch-up more excited for my trip to Japan come June 2012.
I love this photo, reminds me of those vintage national geographic magazines my dad used to collect when i was a kid!
RON | fliptravels.com recently posted..inside the stockings: Singapore Mint Museum of ToysMy Profile

Reply

Sheril Benedict December 26, 2011 at 5:03 am

wow this is the first time i m seeing a Japanese wedding couple ..Great pic
Sheril Benedict recently posted..Amazing Taj MahalMy Profile

Reply

Tours In Agra December 28, 2011 at 3:17 am

Nice pic of Japanese wedding couple. But Indian wedding couple are always looking more gorgeous in Traditional dress.

Reply

Michaela December 29, 2011 at 6:03 am

This is a lovely picture. It’s such an interesting shot. They say that pictures say a thousand words and this picture says tons. Maybe the heat is why the groom is adjusting his clothing. Glad that he’s not feeling wedding strain so soon! 🙂
Michaela recently posted..The Importance of Travel StretchingMy Profile

Reply

Annie - FootTracker January 1, 2012 at 7:58 am

Recently I was given the opportunity to nominate other bloggers for Kreative Blogger Award, and I want to nominate you since your blog always bring a smile to me face with interesting posts ^^ I wrote about my encounter with Kreative Blogger Award on my blog, and please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

oh, I had my suspicion when someone else first nominated me, but I thought it’s a good chance to share other blogs I actually read and like =)
Annie – FootTracker recently posted..Kreative Blogger AwardMy Profile

Reply

jenjenk January 2, 2012 at 11:15 pm

wow! thanks! that sounds like a lot of fun!!! will do!!!
jenjenk recently posted..Photo Friday: Japanese Wedding Couple in Traditional DressMy Profile

Reply

Sophie January 3, 2012 at 5:34 am

I wonder how long she has to wear that heavy garb. Is she expected to move around a bit, maybe even dance – or will she be sitting down most of the time? She does look happy, though – so it’s probably worth the effort.
Sophie recently posted..The 11 Best of 2011My Profile

Reply

Scott - Quirky Travel Guy January 3, 2012 at 7:44 am

I didn’t even notice the camera in his lap. Great mix of old and new.
Scott – Quirky Travel Guy recently posted..Left out of the South Beach nightlifeMy Profile

Reply

jade January 3, 2012 at 10:03 pm

This is gorgeous- love the contrast of colors!
jade recently posted..Be a Better Traveler: Part 1My Profile

Reply

Gladys | ByahengBarok.com January 4, 2012 at 11:24 pm

so nice to see a photo of a traditional wedding. and yes, the costume looked like it’s hot to wear.
Gladys | ByahengBarok.com recently posted..Life’s Different JourneysMy Profile

Reply

Will - Gap Daemon January 17, 2012 at 12:47 am

Cute couple! Not sure I could tie the knot in any style let alone this one though. Mega props to them. Where do Japanese people go after the ceremony? Do they go for a massive wedding reception with the biggest karaoke system seen to man?

Reply

Shirlene from Idelish January 21, 2012 at 3:43 pm

I think the excitement of the day trumps the uncomfortableness of the head piece and the clothing! Nothing beats the glow of a bride 🙂
Shirlene from Idelish recently posted..{Spain} Best Tapas at Pinotxo Bar in La Boqueria, BarcelonaMy Profile

Reply

Annie - FootTracker February 1, 2012 at 12:44 pm

Are you on a vacation from blogging? XD hehe ~ Have not seen you for a while on blog nor TEBX so thought I might come look around.
Annie – FootTracker recently posted..Little Helpers For Winter Travel – JapanMy Profile

Reply

AikoVenus February 14, 2012 at 1:26 pm

This picture is so gorgeous – both the couple and the atmosphere! ^^

Reply

Ayngelina February 15, 2012 at 7:35 am

A beatiful photo but he does look uncomfortably hot.
Ayngelina recently posted..Looking for love in all the wrong placesMy Profile

Reply

inka February 15, 2012 at 9:32 am

Such a beautiful, spontaneous shot and such a lovely,smiling bride. As for the groom…only in Japan would he hold a camera in his lap instead of his bride’s hand.
inka recently posted..A hilarious take on expat life in TurkeyMy Profile

Reply

Sara February 28, 2012 at 8:55 am

I love the japanese traditions they are so beautiful and clean..just like on your picture too 🙂
Sara recently posted..Advokatska Kancelarija BeogradMy Profile

Reply

Leave a Comment

CommentLuv badge

Previous post:

Next post: