Nijikai party information
December 29, 2006
Note: This was the 二次会 Nijikai wedding party page used to show information to my friends about the small gig we did in Osaka in March 2006. I’ve posted it now to be part of my electronic scrapbook. (Jerry - December 29th, 2006)
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Nijikai Party Invitation
Hello! As you may or may not know, The Lady and I got married in January in Hawaii! It was a very small ceremony with family and a few friends. The weather could not have been nicer and we got many excellent photos.
We are planning a dinner party in Osaka for our friends to celebrate our marriage. We would love for you to come join us for a nice meal with games and prizes.
It will be on Saturday, March 4th at around 6:00pm in Umeda (Osaka). Cost per person is around 5000 yen and may change depending on the number of guests. We need to have a rough estimate of the number of people attending so please respond by February 15th. (You can change your mind after that date)
If you would like to bring a guest, they’re more than welcome. Please let us know if you can make it and if you’ll be bringing a guest. We hope to hear from you soon!
Nijikai Party Details
Date: Saturday, March 4th
Time: 18:30 reception
Place: Tiara Restaurant & Bar - Directions
Address and contact: Diamondo Bldg B1
5-8 Taiyuji, Kita-ku
530-0051
phone: 06-6315-7372
Dress: semi-formal (but hey, what can I do if you’re not?)
Guests: We have limited space so only those who have confirmed with me can go. If you haven’t confirmed, sorry it’s too late.
Cost: At reception, 5000 yen will be collected. There’ll be 6 prizes (1 in 8’s a winner!) Winners will be drawn using playing cards and choice of prizes determined by darts.
Menu: A buffet dinner including 3 kinds of antipasto, fried chicken and fries, 2 kinds of pizza, 2 kinds of pasta, and dessert. It’s nomihodai: all you can drink from a set drink menu.
Features: there are 3 electronic dartboards at Tiara. A magician will be putting on a little show. The magician also doubles as a fortune teller (uranaishi) for 1000 yen a reading. [Edit: the magician quit a few days before our party. That bastard.]
Nijikai Party Directions
Hot Pepper’s map page for Tiara
Hot Pepper’s keitai map page for Tiara
The simplest way is to take the Tanimachi Line (Purple line):
From Namba:
- Take the Sennichimae line (pink line) to Tanimachi 9-chome (2 stations away)
- Transfer to the Tanimachi Line (purple line) and get off at Higashi-Umeda Station (5 stations away)
- Go to exits 1, 2, and 3
- Turn left after exiting the ticket gates and continue until you come to an “intersection”. You will see a shopping area to the left.
- At the intersection turn right into the East Mall (You will see “East Mall” on a big sign on the ceiling). You will see signs at the intersection pointing to the Izumino Hiroba 泉広場
- Keep on walking straight until you come to the big water fountain. Find exit M14 and go up the left set of stairs
- Walk straight until you see Tiara. It’s on the right hand side. You will pass a Daily Yamazaki Convenient Store on the way to Tiara and there’s a dental clinic called Ono right beside the restaurant
If you are arriving to Umeda from another line it will be best to stay underground and follow the signs leading to the Tanimachi Line (Higashi Umeda Station) and you should run into the East Mall. Follow the directions from there.
Wedding Information page
Note: This was the wedding page used to show information to my friends and family before actually leaving for Hawaii. I’ve posted it now to be part of my electronic scrapbook. (Jerry - December 29th, 2006)
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Last updated: January 13 - lunch venue updated
Hi guys, I’ll be posting information about the wedding on this page and I’ll update it here so please check back here maybe once a week until the big day. I’ll also put down when I last updated so you won’t have to find every small change. If you guys have any questions, you know where to find me on MSN or I’m a cell phone message away as well. Some of this stuff was just taken directly off the net - I’m not trying to sell you any company or whatnot.
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The Wedding Ceremony
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Location
John Dominis Chapel By The Sea
43 Ahui Street Honolulu Hawaii 96813
Google Map -
Time
The ceremony starts at 12:00 noon. Please arrive at the chapel by 11:30am at the latest. The ceremony will probably about an hour.
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Getting there
Taking a taxi will probably be your best bet. A rough estimate for fares from the downtown area to the chapel is about $10.
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Lunch
After the ceremony, there will be a French lunch banquet at a nearby restaurant. To get there, we can split taxi fares. The lunch will begin at 14:00 and probably end in about an hour. After that, you’re on your own!
Ho’ao
Nauru Tower 4th floor,1330 Ala Moana Blvd,
Hawaii 96814
Google map
Hotels
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The Lady and I
Sheraton Waikiki
2255 Kalakaua Avenue, Honolulu HI, 96815-2579
Phone: (808)922-4422
Google Map -
My family
OHANA Waikiki Malia
2211 Kuhio Avenue, Honolulu, Hawaii, 96815-2830
Google Map -
Dennis
Castle Pacific Marina Inn Airport Hotel
2628 Waiwai Loop Honolulu, HI 96819
Google Map
Suggestions
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Places To Go
Pearl Harbor / USS Arizona Memorial
Free admission - Open 07:30-17:00
You cannot bring any bags/purses/fanny packs/camera bags into the USS Arizona Memorial visitor center for security reasons – there’s a stand offering storage services here. It’s either that or travel really light. -
Travel Guide
I’m reading the Lonely Planet Oahu guidebook and it has a lot of great tips on things to do and what to expect from Hawaii. I’d highly recommend nabbing a copy if it’s readily available.
A suggestion from a friend is that the North Shore is the place to be for surfing and other water sports.
Transportation
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Rental Car
All major rental companies have cars available at Honolulu International Airport. Rental agency vans pick you up at the middle curbside outside baggage claim and take you to their off-site lot. Anyone over 18 with a valid driver’s licence in English can rent a car.
I did some emailing and if you want to travel in style, most limousine companies offer luxury sedan rentals for about $100 and give you a ride to and from the airport/hotel. They usually give you a couple of lei as well (those flower necklaces you’ve seen on tv). For about $120 you can get a stretch limousine.
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Taxi
Taxis are abundant at the airport; an attendant will be happy to flag one down for you. Taxi fare from Honolulu International Airport to downtown Honolulu is about $18; to Waikiki, about $25 to $30. Taxis have a flag-down fee of $2.25 and the fare increases in 30 cent increments at a rate of $2.40 per mile.
Here’s a list of taxi company phone numbers.
For a flat fee of $25, Star Taxi (tel. 800/671-2999 or 808/942-STAR) will take up to five passengers from the airport to Waikiki (with no extra charges for baggage); however, you must book in advance. After you have arrived and before you pick up your luggage, re-call Star to make sure that they will be outside waiting for you when your luggage arrives. Passport Taxi Shuttle does the same $25 flat fee. Their page has a nice map of the airport area too.
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Airport Shuttle
Shuttle vans operate 24 hours a day every day of the year between the airport and all 350 hotels and condos in Waikiki. The cheapest shuttle service is The Shuttle (tel. 866/900-5005 or 808/955-1156), with 24-hour service in air-conditioned vans for just $6 from the airport to Waikiki ($10 round-trip). You can board with two pieces of luggage and a carry-on at no extra charge; surfboards and bicycles are prohibited for safety reasons. Backpacks are okay. Tips are welcome.
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Public Transit
The public transit company is called TheBus and it’s by far the cheapest way to get to Waikiki — but you’ve got to be traveling light to use it. Bus nos. 19 and 20 (Waikiki Beach and Hotels) run from the airport to downtown Honolulu and Waikiki. The first bus from Waikiki to the airport is at 4:50am on weekdays and 5:25am on weekends; the last bus departs the airport for Waikiki at 11:45pm on weekdays, 11:25pm on weekends. There are two bus stops on the main terminal’s upper level; a third is on the second level of the Inter-Island terminal.
You can board TheBus with a carry-on or small suitcase as long as it fits under the seat and doesn’t disrupt other passengers; otherwise, you’ll have to take a shuttle or taxi. The approximate travel time to Waikiki is an hour. The one-way fare is $1.75 (exact change only). For information on routes and schedules, call tel. 808/848-5555, or point your browser to www.thebus.org.
This is a toilet
May 09, 2006
Have I ever shown you a Japanese toilet? It’s a hole in the ground!
Yup, it’s a squatting toilet. Sometime during your development as a foreign national surviving in Japan, you’ll need to work on your skills of the balanced crouch push. Some people refuse to use the squatting toilets and hold it until they find a seated one. Sometimes, you don’t have the luxury of holding it in…
So I just want to say that it’s early May and it’s already becoming hot. Yesterday was a barely bearable 28 degrees with a hint of humidity. A sign of things to come I’m afraid.
We’ve been in our new place for about two weeks now, after a heavy weekend of shuttling furniture back and forth from my old place. Luckily it’s only a five minute walk (we really love the neighborhood). Now armed with cable and internet, a much bigger place, and a TV in the bath, I’m ready to take on the married life with a grin on my face and a bead of sweat running down the side of my head.
Oh yes, we have now been legally married for three days. Before that we were only married under the eyes of God. So, congratulations to us again!
The Wedding Pictures
April 03, 2006
And finally I am releasing our wedding pictures. The gallery isn’t perfectly what I envisioned but I made it from scratch and it’s as good as it gets for now. It’s password protected so mail me for the password. Here it is.
The Wedding: Behind The Scenes (4)
March 26, 2006
Tuesday, January 24 - Thursday January, 26
And finally I was able to spend time with my new wife on Tuesday onwards. It was the first chance for us to actually relax and enjoy this trip together. We did a lot of shopping, mostly for other people. I hate to say it but I got re-acquainted with a good friend called cable TV and enjoyed the king of all delicacies: a cheese pizza.
I like being pampered
The locals on the island were really friendly and talkative! A few waiters gave their life story a friendly reply to “How’s it going?” One cool fellow preceded all speech with “Sounds like a plan”. Entertaining and enlightening!
On a walk on the beach we ended up at the aquarium which made this big giant deal out of coral being made of living organisms. After the aquarium I was so sick of hearing it that I defiantly declared that coral is really a natural mineral. The beaches were a wonderful contrast from concrete in Osaka.
The aquarium had these information phones instead of a real tour guide
We didn’t spend as much time on the beaches as I would have liked but we did get some sun. I think I reflected more sunlight back into the sun than the beach absorbed. I also think this was the second time in my life where I’ve seen palm trees growing. I could easily get used to them.
Look closely! That’s no monkey climbing up the tree!
And to cap off a great trip, we got upgraded into business class. I am definitely going to spend extra or use frequent flyer miles to go for the upgrade. I’ve tasted luxury and I want more. I must admit the turbulence on the way back made me whimper like a little girl though and the shitty movies didn’t help.
When we were back in Osaka, a part of me was glad but the rest was yearning to be pampered in hotels and restaurants. Hawaii, we’ll be back!
The lady thinks everything is cold
And that was our week in Hawaii! Here are all the pictures.
The Wedding: Behind The Scenes (3)
March 14, 2006
The third day in Hawaii was with my family. Daddy rented a car and Victor was the pilot. For some reason he thought it would be a good idea to make me the navigator. Well I wasn’t going to tell him how dead wrong he was but oh well. We did some exploring around Waikiki and Honolulu but mainly did a few touristy things.
Chinatown
If two streets slapped together counts as a Chinatown, then yes, this was a Chinatown. If selling the same crappy ‘Chinese’ wares like fake jade statues, two dollar paintings and plastic slippers count as a Chinatown, then yes, this was a Chinatown. If reconstituting frozen food with equal amounts of MSG counts as a Chinatown, then yes, this was a Chinatown. I’ve seen better.
This sign made up 5% of Chinatown
Pearl Harbor
For some reason I thought it would be a giant “They surprised attacked us so we don’t like them” place but luckily I was wrong. It was an educating experience for many. For me, I’ve read history books already. Really, standing on the memorial doesn’t give you any extra feeling as only chunks of the Arizona are visible. The movie (Tora! x3, not the one with Ben Assface) and the gallery were much more informative.
On the boat ride there
Diamondhead Crater
A fairly minor hike that even my parents could do it was a nice escape from the touristy streets of Waikiki. I spoke with a nice lady from Johannesburg who was there for some research conference. At the top I snapped some nice shots of a rainbow shining into a valley.
The people of whom I have genetic ties to (Victor excluded)
The perpetual rainbow
Our hotel is the building next to the pink glob in the middle
The rest of the day was spent driving around, eating, shopping at the big mall (I need my books and video games damnit), and listening to my family bicker amongst themselves. It was good to be with them after so long again and good to catch up. I should really get on this Skype thing that everyone’s been talking about.
Our Wedding: Behind The Scenes (2)
March 09, 2006
Sunday, January 22
Eri’s makeup lady came fairly early in the morning and morphed her into wedding mode in only about an hour. For me it took ten minutes to change and get ready. After getting ready we got into our limousine to take some pictures by the beach. The photographer spoke a strange combination of English and Japanese. Regardless of his language ability though the pictures we got look damn good. Just being around a pro let me pick up a few tips for my own picture-taking ability.
A quick shot in front of our hotel
The lady on the beach
Finally it was off to the chapel. We got there earlier than everyone else and were quickly rushed into the minister’s office. There we got a crash course on the ceremony. Screw rehearsals, we watched yet another video and were told to basically relax as there would be people there giving us hints and stuff along the way. The minister came in and had a quick chat with us. He was a really nice fellow who radiated kindness.
The ceremony itself went without a hitch. Kenny the ceremony photographer was damn good as well and also let loose a rather annoying, but entertaining personality during the picture session. It was a rather tiring process being led around and being told where to go, when to stand, when to sit, when to smile, when to take the lady’s hand, when to look up up down down left right left right (B A select start) and while I would never forget it, I was glad when it was over. I bet that sounds horrible to some of you but I don’t need some two hour procession to prove to anyone how I feel for my lady. I just hate formalities when really they mean nothing compared to the big picture.
It was pretty cool to be in a limousine. I had never been in one before save for the small cadillacs that take people from airports to hotels. This was a stretch limo and let me say, I can get used to it. Our driver was an old Japanese man who kept talking to us. I was so tempted to close that window that separates the driver from the passengers, you know, like in the movies. I just didn’t want him to stop the limo and make us walk in retaliation.
We had our lunch banquet at a nearby reception hall. Food was actually pretty good. I couldn’t help but feel rushed as the waitresses and the lady in charge kept dropping us hints like, “Yes the food is finished now” or “Yes the taxis are waiting for your guests”. OK OK lady. Let me enjoy a few more moments with my friends!
Later on that day I got to spend a fleeting moment with Dennis at the bar with my other chums. Not realizing it at the time but Dennis is probably the longest running friend I have. What is it now, 12 years?
People I barely know
That night for the first time ever, both our families got together for a nice dinner at the Top Of Waikiki revolving restaurant. Service was dismally slow but surprisingly the prices were rather reasonable
Anyway, still later on that day I spent the evening with the lady and we’ll just leave the details out. (We had sex.)
Nijikai / Second Wedding Party
March 06, 2006
We had our 二次会 (ni ji kai) party last night. It’s a second wedding party generally for friends and for people who couldn’t come to the ceremony or who weren’t invited. We had slightly under 50 people come and celebrate with us. It was definitely the biggest party ‘we’ have ever thrown.
We took over Tiara restaurant and bar for a few hours and had a rather formal/rigid party. The night included:
- A candle lighting ceremony - the lady and I came out of the secret hiding place as the night formally began and lit candles placed on every table
- An opening speech by a very dear friend
- Cake cutting and champagne toast
- Two hour open bar - way too short although Thomas seemed to have no problems.
- A buffet dinner - the lady and I didn’t really have much time to eat so I snuck in as much food as I could in the very few minutes between greeting and thanking people for coming
- Prizes - a portable TV, an mp3 player, a webcam, a blender, an ICOCA card of an undisclosed amount of money, and a small bottle of icewine
- Enough well wishes and thank yous to last me a few years
I felt bad for my guests because I felt everything was so rushed. I wanted people to have plenty more time to enjoy the food and drinks but the restaurant basically swept us out. Everyone paid a fairly hefty bill to be there too (not to mention bags of presents and stuff; some of this shit’s good shit). I also felt bad because of the number of people there and because we were pretty much trapped to our table to greet people, I didn’t get to spend much time with people from my side. Such is the tradition of a nijikai party.
Afterwards about 30 of us headed over to a nearby bar for the, you guessed it, 三次会 (san ji kai) / Third Wedding Party. Thankfully this is not formalized and structured at all. We got drinks and this time I could spend time with my side more although my gaijin friends had mostly left.
We had guests come from Tokyo, Osaka, and if we’re being technical, Canada, America, and Australia (Osaka for these people really). I couldn’t believe some people took time to come join us last night and I’ll be forever grateful. The sad part was we both wanted to invite more people but had to trim our list down to the restaurant capacity. A few Komazawa friends sent flowers to the party and I wish they were there.
I mentioned this was the biggest party ‘we’ had ever thrown and the ‘we’ is wrapped in quotes because we had help. The lady’s two friends and my buddy Laura helped coordinate everything and act as MC, reception, waitress (for us), fashion adviser, forgotten-things-reminder-er, and more. Undying gratitude goes out to them. They took a lot of time out to help us plan and run the party.
Now that all wedding formalities are done, only the final things are left - things like sending out thank yous and all that fun stuff. I don’t have many pictures from this event so I’ll be knocking on your door if you had a camera there. Thomas wrote his account of it although he was a bit tipsy - he has a couple more pictures.
The Wedding: Behind The Scenes (1)
February 12, 2006
I was going to write a huge update and then put it up all at once but it’s taking me forever to find the time and writing juices to do it. I’m splitting it up instead into more manageable chunks. Here’s day one of a play by play recap of the emotional rollercoaster that we will forever call our wedding day! I’m writing this purely from my point of view, maybe one day when the woman realizes how much fun blogging can be, she can write her side. Included are pictures I took during my trip. The professionally done wedding photos will be put up in a different album.
Some wedding advice
February 05, 2006
Before I post things about the wedding, here’s some stuff I wrote during the winter holiday. I’m still working on the wedding trip post and a photo album for all the advertisement-like photos.
I remember reading somewhere that weddings are one of the most stressful events in a person’s life. I totally agree with that statement. We had one of the smallest weddings, like, in the histories of the Leung/Kurokawa clan legacies. Sure it was overseas and required some extra coordination but really, it was a puny wedding. Still, that in itself gave me enough headaches to last me for awhile. So to help you future bride and grooms, here are some of the observations I made about my wedding and preparation.
- Expect to argue with each other. The lady and I fought more in the last five months than we have ever fought in five years. Most of it was over purely ridiculous and small things. For some reason, neither of us could relent.
- Expect things to go wrong. Things will fuck up. And the closer it gets to the wedding, the more things will fuck up. I think I was expecting the volcanoes in Hawaii to erupt at one point. No matter how the lady at the dress shop or the chapel or the travel agency assures you, she will inevitably fuck something up. Just roll with the punches and say horrible things about her afterwards. After all, she’s not doing her job, and that’s a sin.
- Expect misunderstandings. Ugh. See this and then imagine the wildest things that can, nay, will, happen.
- Keep track of who you’ve told about the wedding. I felt so bad that some people found out through second, third, or fourth hand information. Sometimes you just forget. But then don’t feel too bad about it. After all, there’s probably a reason you forgot about them. For the others, you probably owe them an apology.
- Expect psychosomatic responses. Normally I handle stress so efficiently that it scares and overwhelms my enemies. During this time though, I had so many headaches, backaches, coughing fits, flu-like symptoms, strokes, heart attacks, and menstrual cramps (ok, maybe not the last few) that could not be explained. I really think they were the physical incarnation of the dense ball of stress growing inside my head. Really, I’m ok.
- Expect misunderstandings II. Even between you and your soulmate, who is psychically, universally, electronically, maybe even physically attached to you, you will probably confuse each other at one time or another. This is amplified by a factor of 5.24 (The Jerry Constant) if one side does not speak English natively and the other does not speak Japanese well (this means you, the woman).
- Have a venting outlet. Always keep one of these handy friends available. After you build up so much blood-boiling stress, you will find it helps to take it out on some unsuspecting friend, whom you confide in and rely on for moral support. Oh yes, taking baths is a good substitute as well if you’re not good with making friends.
- Expect no magic like in the movies. Why does Hollywood make weddings out to be so much fun? Weddings are a chore. Really. I think the “I just want to get it over with” thought snuck into my mind months beforehand. Don’t get me wrong, I look forward to the wondrous life I will have with my wife. I just think weddings are so… traditional. Ugh.
That’s it for now. The above applies for really small weddings. For really big weddings… um… good luck!
Married
January 29, 2006
What a trip that was. Just reporting in after a couple of days back in Japan.
Thanks to everyone who came!
Photos and stories to come.
An affidavit
January 11, 2006
One thing I found out most recently is that to get married, I needed an affidavit declaring my eligibility to marry. I guess it’s not ok to have prior wife/wives or any other reasons why I can’t get married again. So off to the Canadian Consulate we went and with five freakin thousand yen (for a piece of paper), and a silly application form, I got my first ever piece of legal declaration. I bet working in the consulate must be one of the cushiest jobs. The hours they’re open are from 10:00 t0 12:00, then 14:00 to 16:00.
Here’s what the affidavit looks like, with some edits to identifying information and signatures. I’m sure the Consul of Canada doesn’t want her signature all over the internet.
For 50 bucks, that’s one of the most expensive pieces of paper describing myself I’ve ever bought.
The Dress
November 23, 2005
Wow. Wedding dress companies are evil!
So here I am at this company waiting for the woman as she gets her hair done to try on some dresses. The lady helping us seems nice but after trying to sell us the merits of buying rather than renting (you get a stupid carrying bag if you buy a dress) I can’t help but despise her a little bit.
Asking for permission
October 02, 2005
One of the cultural differences between Japan and western countries when it comes to marriages is that the guy needs to ask the girl’s parents for permission before he can propose to the girl. So, when in Rome…
We invited the lady’s mother for dinner on a Monday in August to set up this occasion. It was for her birthday and since it was a month before the proposal date, it was the perfect time to ask her. We met at Kushi-ya, an all-you-can-eat place where you make your own kushi-katsu skewers (deep fried breaded everything), for dinner. I prodded my girlfriend and asked, “Can I do it now? I wanna ask now instead of worrying all through dinner.” She said ok so in my broken Japanese i made a little speech (completely unrehearsed).
Basically I don’t need to write what was said but it ended with, “Eri to kekkon sasete kudasai”, or, “Please allow (me) to marry your daughter”. Now during this whole time when I’m pouring my heart out in Japanese, her mother had this big grin on her face. I was thinking maybe she knew was what was going on. She said yes and we all had a moment of “Yay”.
I asked my girlfriend if she had told her mother about this beforehand but she said nope. When we asked her mother she said she had no idea it was coming. Keep in mind though, her mother had already been planning which hotel she was going to stay in when my girlfriend talked to her about having the wedding in Hawaii. I guess I knew what her answer would’ve been but it’s still always a bit gut wrenching.
A couple weeks later we visited the father’s grave and in a silent prayer I said the same thing and made some promises to him and to myself too.
There you go.
The proposal
September 22, 2005
Mainly because I want to remember all the gooey details when I become and old fart sitting around in the old folks’ home, I’m going to talk about how I proposed to the lady. It was a trying process even though we had discussed about getting married as early as last March! Essentially, we had the whole wedding planned out for a long time now and we were waiting for our fifth year anniversary to get it rolling.
Guess what?
September 19, 2005
At 12:00am, September 10, 2005, two things occured; the lady and I celebrated our 5th year anniversary and - I proposed and she accepted. Yep! We’re getting married!
Tentatively we’re planning to have a wedding ceremony for immediate family around January 2006. We’re planning to do this in Hawaii. I know it seems soon but we have reasons for doing it this early. No, she’s not pregnant. After this, in February we’re having a more general party in Osaka. You’re all invited of course to this, if you can get your ass over to Japan at that time. If not, that’s cool.
