Wedding traditions of Tokyo
A city of shrine weddings in white kimono and chapel weddings in white dress, with the san-san-kudo cup.
Japanese weddings often mix a Shinto ceremony, a Christian-style chapel service and a banquet. The legal marriage is made by registering at a city office, often on a lucky day.
A wedding here
A Shinto ceremony has the bride in a white kimono, shiromuku, and a hood called a tsunokakushi, and the groom in a black haori. The couple share three sips of sake from three cups, the san-san-kudo, and a priest chants. A reception has speeches, gifts and money in a special envelope, the goshugi. Same-sex couples cannot marry under national law, as of 2026, but Tokyo has had a partnership system since 2022, and several high courts have ruled the ban unconstitutional.
Where weddings happen
Meiji Shrine, Hie Shrine and hotel chapels. Large hotels and "wedding halls" are common.
The season and the calendar
Taian days, lucky days in the old six-day calendar, are favoured. Spring and autumn are the seasons.
Wedding customs of Tokyo
Also part of it, and being written: Japanese wedding (The customs.), San-san-kudo (The three sips of sake.), Shiromuku (The white bridal kimono.), Uchikake (The coloured over-robe.), Rokuyo (The six-day cycle.).
A wedding trail idea for Tokyo
- Meiji Shrine A well-known place for Shinto weddings.
- Hie Shrine A central shrine.
- Ginza A district for bridal shops.
- Tokyo Station Hotel A heritage hotel.
Written by the EveryShaadi desk with AI assistance. Opening hours, venues and wedding-season dates change; check locally before travelling. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Shūgi-bukuro: Nesnad, CC BY 4.0, source
- Same-sex marriage in Japan: User:Jedi Friend, CC BY-SA 4.0, source