TOKYO, July 1 – being a soprano sings “Ave Maria,” a couple that is japanese down the guts aisle of a resort chapel, past white trumpet lilies, towards the altar where A us “pastor” appears, gold cross gleaming on white robes.

“Before Jesus and these witnesses, we pronounce you wife and husband,” intones Damon Mackey, A california native myukrainianbride who took a two-day program to execute weddings on weekends, supplementing their earnings being an English instructor and actor that is part-time.

In Japan, where a romance with Western “white weddings” is resulting in a collapse in Shinto ceremonies, a brand new figure is taking on the altar: the gaijin, or foreign, “pastor.”

Just 1.4 % of Japan’s 127 million folks are Christians, but Christian-style ceremonies now account fully for three-quarters of Japanese weddings. Continue reading Right Here Comes the Bride that is japanese Really Western →