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::: we attended our first wedding in japan...claire and i were mildly surprised to see that the ceremonial form was completely western...nonetheless, we were moved once again by the meaning and mystery of christian marriage, reaching an emotional peak when we heard the bride and groom exchange wedding vows in japanese...yakusoku shite imasu (i promise) in place of "i do"...there was a blanket of solemnity covering the wedding ceremony (as with most important japanese events), but it lifted when the bride's father -- who hails from osaka -- gave some remarks and had the audience laughing non-stop for a good fifteen minutes...the contrast was stark, night and day...lends credence to a regional belief: kansai people are japan's comedians...



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...speaking of comedians, here's our friend yoko with her two brothers and niece...
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