There was a Shinto wedding ceremony while we werer there, which is a key part of most Japanese couples' elaborate wedding ceremony. The Shinto ceremony is big on ceremony and quite solemn. Most of the time this is combined with other ceremonies, like a Buddhist and Western version. The Western ceremony is weird because there are very few Christians in Japan, but Hollywood has drilled the Western wedding into the global conscience so much that few brides can resist the temptation to don a big white wedding gown and walk down the aisle, even though it carries no legal weight and there's rarely a minister or church involved. There's also of course a very elaborate tea ceremony that's integral to the whole thing. In all, a Japanese woman wouldn't be caught dead in less than 6 complete wardrobe changes on her wedding day.