Married!
It’s official, if not fêted yet. Sachi and I went to city hall today (which is, after all, a Taian day) and signed all the papers needed. No sweat, we had all the paperwork done, and just had to dot a few “i”s; the whole thing took less than an hour, and we were married. The certificate comes in a week, but it’s all official as of now. (I’ve been telling people, “You can call me Mister Poza now!”) Afterwards, we went to Starbucks and had a coffee and snack, but then Sachi had to go off to work. But we’ll be celebrating better tonight, we have reservations at a nice restaurant–one on the 58th floor of a skyscraper that overlooks our apartment building.
Here are a few snaps from this morning, one before we got married and one just after:
…And that’s when a giant white owl sat on her head. Actually, we asked a person sitting in the park to snap this for us, and, well, you get what you pay for. A nice shot, but the owl statue behind Sachi does kind of distract you a bit.
The ceremonial stuff happens in September. We’ll travel to the U.S. and have a small, private ceremony there with some friends and family, and then in late September (another Taian day, naturally) we’ll have a ceremony and reception here in Tokyo, at a nice wedding/restaurant place. The one we saw in Akasaka looked best, though we still haven’t decided.
Anyway, the deal is officially done today, and that’s what’s most important.
Congratulations! You can always say the best day of your life is when a giant owl perched on your bride’s head!
Congratulations !!!
What are those bears doing in the background?
Luis,
Congradulations from your Dad’s old friend, Sandy! Have not seen you in a long time and hope to do so again and meet Sachi. Japan is still my favorite foreign country but I am getting a bit old for long trips. I am still working in the fascinating world of radio astronomy and you can get an idea about what I do by looking at the above web site. Glenn reads your blog every day and I have seen it a few times. You write very well.
Best wishes to you and Sachi for a happy and long life together.
Sandy and Marjie
Kekkon shiki omedeto gozaimasu. Shiawasena ginsei wo sugosite kudasai.
Cheers Frankie
Thanks, all! David: freaky, but apparently true. Ykw: cuddling, you deviate! 😀 Sandy: Thanks for dropping in, and thanks! Wish you could make one more trek to Nobeyama… it’s actually pretty close to Sachi’s home town in Nagano. Franki: arigato!
Congratulations. And I see the owl as an extraordinary good omen for the both of you.
The owl represents wisdom. That’s a nice reflection.
Congratulations!
All the best.
Congratulations! I wish you both all the best in the years to come.
Congratulations!
I’m also looking for a place to have a reception in Tokyo – would you mind sharing the place you found in Akasaka?
I just realized I know this park! Higashi Ikebukuro, big sign nearby that says Karaoke 747, somewhat close to Bic Camera?
Tim: Good point. Morgannels, Sako, thanks!
Alex: You’re spot on for the park. As for the wedding parlor: We’re looking at Subir in Akasaka (http://www.subir.co.jp/), and will probably use them. The exterior of the place is not fantastic–it’s in a shopping district–but inside it’s nice, and these people have their act together, a *lot* more than the restaurant we went to. The prices are fairly reasonable for a mid-level place. We visited a friend’s wedding last year; it was in a smallish restaurant that obviously just rents out on the side; it had a nice atmosphere; there was a buffet meal, not very impressive. That is what I consider low-end. The high-end I would consider to be the places that go all-out and cost millions of yen. We’re shopping in the mid-range. Subir can do the wedding for about 1.5 million yen, give or take 300,000 yen or so, depending on what you opt in or out for. It’s a flexible package; we could choose to buy a dress instead of rent, use our own photographer, print our own invitations–lots of stuff that could save us money in the end, and they don’t penalize us or force us to stick to the package. They have a dressed-up chapel-like dinner room, and a more subdued restaurant-style room. They also offer plans to subsidize the wedding, including an option to have each guest pay a set amount (rather than the usual thing where guests are expected but not strictly obligated to pay between 20,000 to 50,000 yen per guest/couple depending upon their relationship to the bride and groom, which helps offset the cost of the wedding). They work with you to see what you want and help calculate costs and do estimates this way or that. You should go and check them out at least, unless you’re looking for something in a lower price range.
Congratulations, Luis & Sachi!
Wonderful! Congratulations!
Congratulations! I’ve just started reading your blog but enjoy it immensely. As for the owl…hey, now you have a story to go with the picture! That anonymous citizen did you a great favor!
Jan
Congratulations, my bloggy friend. That’s really awesome, and I wish you both the best!
おめでとうございます。
Congratulations. The best of luck to both of you.
Congratulations! (a bit too late, sorry.) Nice smile, with full of happiness. I also feel really happy looking at both of you, thanks a lot. Two of you look really wonderful! God Save Mr. and Mrs. Poza Forever!!! Enjoy happy and nice, warm life!!!
Congratulations Sachi and Luis! I knew you guys were planning on it but I didn’t realize it was going to happen so soon. Best wishes and a wonderful life!
Congratulations and best of luck to you both!
Congratulations!! Best wishes for long life and happiness to you both.
Again, everyone–thanks! We’re enjoying married life grandly. A bit more in a blog post perhaps later today.