Im going to be a best man! - At a japanese wedding -eek!

[Kaben]

Im so chuffed, my good friend Will has asked me to be the best man at his wedding!

He met Noriko in Tokyo when i invited him to come to Japan and visit me for 10 days whilst i was traveling around Asia.
They kept in touch and soon made many trips to visit each other. Now, 3 years down the line they are getting married!

They are going to have the wedding in Japan, some time around August next year and its going to be a formal Japanese ceremony!
I have no idea what the best man has to do in a Japanese ceremony, but i know i have to give my speech in both languages! (that will be a real test for the Japanese lessons i have been taking these past 2 years!)

So, this is both a message to express how bloody happy i am that someone asked me to be their best man (i wasnt sure if i would evere get the chance!) and to ask if anyone has had experience of Japanese ceremonies?

Im hoping for replies by:
-Kawashima (despite your single-ness you are my inside man here).
-Silver (you are my recent western man in the know and i hope you can pass on some sagely advice).
-and a certain outspoken and heavily anti-ebay individual who may or may not have changed his name in a dispute withe the moderators................
____________________
Its Not a Melon, Its Clearly a Lime!!
Yamaha Fazer 600Now dead, MZ 125 SM
My Deviant Art homepage https://robabloke.deviantart.com/

[Robby]

Can I come?

I promise to impregnate every bridesmaid.

[Al]

Not really helpful but is it traditional to have a bestman speech in Japan?
I went to a wedding in Italy where the speech was done in both English and Italian, but because its not really traditional to have a bestman speech as such, the Italian guests didn't really know what was going on, missed all the jokes and it was just a five minute awkward silence.
Still the 14 course seafood meal was good
____________________
Yamaha FZR400RR 3tj
My Instagram Thingy

[kawashima]

I'm not good at this topic but...
(1)wedding at chapel
(2)wedding reception
-when you come to the reception place-
There is a reception desk, you give him congratulatory gifts of money.
The "shugi" should be around 30,000-50,000yen(if you are over 30)
20,000-30,000yen(if you are under 30). but "2" is not good because it
means "separate". "4" is not good because it could read as "Shi" which
means "death". So 30,000yen is the most normal case.

-progress of wedding reception-
1. groom and bride entrance
2. starting address by chairperson
welcome speech by groom and bride
3. short introduction of groom and bride by chairperson
4. congratulatory address by the guest of honor(groom side)
(by his boss or teacher)
congratulatory address by the guest of honor(bride side)
(by her boss or teacher)
5. groom and bride enter a big knife into wedding cake
6. toast
(boss or senior of the groom propose a toast)
7. start dinner after the toast
(parents of groom and bride go to the guest of honor for greeting and
serving them with beer)
(friends go to groom and bride for serving them with beer)
(8. congratulatory address by the guest)
9. bride leave while to changes her clothes
(groom leave while(to changes his clothes))
10. groom and bride re-entrance and they perform candle service to each tables
11. congratulatory address by groom and bride's friends
(some entertainment are done by groom and bride's friends)
(sometimes they sing, play musical instrument....)
12.chairperson reads congratulatory telegrams
he also introduce their new house, and where they go to for honeymoon.
13. bride reads letter to her parents(thanks letter)
14. bride and groom give their parents bouquet
15. fathers of the groom expresses his gratitude to the guests
16. address by groom to the guests
17. break up address by chairperson
18. seeing off of the guests by groom and bride, and their parents.
---> another party at another place("niji-kai"usually only by friends : a little bit more frank party because no elder person comes)
-------------------------------------------
Speechs are done by the guest of honor,bosses,friends etc.
**We don't have "bestman" here in japan.**
I'm not sure if they have the guest of honor other than you, if I am right that
you address speach as representative of groom's friends,
your speech is to admire the groom how praiseworthy person he is.
Guests of bride side don't know about the groom well, so you speak
about his personality, and make them feel easy.

<Speech example>
Greeting
Introduce yourself(your relation to the groom)
About the groom
Parting words
Ending words

It is suggested that a friend who address speech should not drink much.
Speech by whom drunk is not welcomed at all. Please be careful not to drink.
It's very important.
____________________
own:2020 Serow 250
owned: 2012 YB125SP, 2008 TDM900, 2005 W650, 2002 LS125R, 2002 CB400SF, NS50F, C50 / Trip to UK(2009), Hokkaido touring(2013)

[GhostRider]

[Kaben]

Thankyou for your help Kawashima!

On the grooms side it will only be myself and his family, due to the flights being so costly, so i will be the friends representative.

Luckily i am not too bad at speeches, as long as i have prepared myself, so if that's all there is to it i should hopefully be OK. I also don't drink so much these days so i should be fine!

Plus the story of how they met and how he fell head over heels for her is quite a nice romantic story so im sure it will go down well.

Not sure what i thought would be involved in a Japanese ceremony, but what you have described sounds pretty normal.
____________________
Its Not a Melon, Its Clearly a Lime!!
Yamaha Fazer 600Now dead, MZ 125 SM
My Deviant Art homepage https://robabloke.deviantart.com/