I apparently wrote this 4 years ago, but never posted it. ha ha...
And apparently, another year has passed and I still hadn't posted this... ack!!!

Last May (2014) I attended my first wedding in Japan. While all weddings are wonderful occasions, this particular wedding was a little more special for me because of what it represented. I actually don't know the couple very well, nor the family, but I have spent some time with them over the past three years as a result of my work documenting the recovery efforts in the Tohoku area.

So some of you are probably wondering why I was invited? Part of the reason is because they wanted me to come and take photos. They couldn't pay me though, but I also didn't have to give the traditional Japanese wedding gift (money), nor could they pay for my travel expenses. Normally, I'd be a little peeved about this, but for this particular family, I was honored to do it...and I was happy to do it for free.

Even though I don't know a lot about the couple or the families, I knew enough. I agreed to go because of what I did know and because of what it really represented - the unspoken bond that has been forged between myself and the family, more particularly, the father of the bride, Mitsuaki Maeda.

Out of all the people I have met during my travels through the devastated areas in Tohoku, Maeda-san is one of the people I think of often. I wrote about this bond we have created toward the end of another blog post Bonding for the Future. He lost his brother, his sister-in-law, his home and his sushi restaurant during the tsunami, yet, despite his tragic losses, every time I see him, he always has a big smile on his face. I can't help but smile back when I see him.

While I wish he and I could talk more, I am content in knowing that the reason for that smile on his face is his positive outlook on life.

Part of the reason I don't know a lot about the family is because of the language barrier. Despite my many trips to Japan, my Japanese is still not very good, so communication is difficult at best. The day before I left, I asked my friend in Tokyo for some last minute Japanese lessons. How do I say "please tilt your head a little to the left"? Please turn your head a little to the right. Chin up. Chin down. Look this way. Look that way. Aaaaaack!!!

Yuya and Juri

So I had arrived in Sendai, cameras in tow, prepared to shoot a wedding and wondering how the heck I was going to do this with my limited Japanese. To my pleasant surprise, and relief, there was a team of photographers on site who were hired to shoot the wedding. They were very well trained and worked together very well as a team. *Phew* I'm off the hook. I was NOT the hired photographer!

So the team pf photographers were shooting the usual photos (and doing a really good job). This meant I was able to wander around and shoot more for the aesthetics rather than having to get THE shots. This ended up working out great! I was able to provide the family with shots the other photographers weren't shooting and I was able to relax more even though I was still taking photos.

In the end, it was a great experience, and I got to hangout with Maeda-san and his family.

June 2016. Hanging out with the Maeda's at Sendai station. Juri (and Yuya) have two kids.

UPDATE: Fast forward to August, 2018, Yuya and Juri now have 3 kids.