Kyoto · Shinto ceremony experience
A Japanese wedding, as an experience.
気軽に、もう一度。京都で
Already married. Marrying at home next year. Travelling with your family. Whichever it is, you can stand in a Kyoto shrine in kimono, speak your vows before the kami, and take the film home with you. Nine rituals, a priest, and someone beside you saying what each gesture means — in your language.
A ceremony, not a registration. Half a day. Replies within 2 business days.
Most of our couples are already married
That surprises people. A Shinto ceremony does not have to be the legal beginning of a marriage — it can be a day you give yourselves, long after the paperwork is done.
Vow renewal
Married five years, or twenty-five. You say the vows again, this time in kimono, in a shrine, with the meaning explained as it happens.
The film, before the day
Marrying at home later this year. You come to Kyoto first, and arrive at your own wedding with a film nobody there has seen before.
With your family
Parents, children, the people who travelled with you. A small ceremony everyone can be inside, not watch from a row of chairs.
Because you are here
Half a day out of a Kyoto trip. No planning year, no guest list, no production — just the ceremony itself.
What this is not
It is not a legal marriage registration. In Japan a marriage is registered at a city office, never at a shrine. Nothing you sign here changes your legal status at home. We say this first because it is the question everyone asks, and because it is also what makes the day easy: there is no paperwork to get wrong.
What it is
A real Shinto ceremony, conducted by a priest, with the nine rituals performed in full — not a shortened version arranged for visitors. What changes is why you are standing there, not what happens.
The Ceremony
Nine rituals, each with a meaning
- 01 修祓 SHUBATSU Purification
- 02 献饌 KENSEN Offering to the kami
- 03 祝詞奏上 NORITO SŌJŌ Announcement and prayer
- 04 誓詞 SEISHI The vows
- 05 三三九度 SAN-SAN-KU-DO The sacred sake, three cups, three times
- 06 玉串奉奠 TAMAGUSHI HŌTEN Offering a sakaki branch
- 07 指輪交換 YUBIWA KŌKAN Exchange of rings
- 08 親族拝戴 SHINZOKU HAITAI Union of the families
- 09 宮司挨拶 GŪJI NO AISATSU Blessing from the priest
Film & Photography
The part you take home
For most couples this is the reason, not the extra. A ceremony lasts a morning; the film is what you show your family, play at your wedding at home, and still open in ten years. So it is filmed properly — the sake, the hands, the bow — not covered from the back of the room.
- A short film of the ceremony — [長さ・形式]
- Stills through the ceremony and portraits in the grounds — [納品枚数]
- Delivered within [納品時期]
- Yours to use however you like, including at your wedding at home
Plans
Three ways to do this
A Japanese Wedding Film
Kimono, hair and make-up, and a filmed portrait session in the shrine grounds. No ceremony.
[YOUR PRICE]
Ask about thisCeremony & Film
The nine rituals with a priest, kimono and dressing for two, guidance in your language, filmed and photographed throughout.
[YOUR PRICE]
Ask about thisCeremony, Film & Meal
Everything above, then a celebration meal in a private room — vegan, vegetarian and allergy-aware menus cooked in our own kitchen.
[YOUR PRICE]
Ask about this[税込／税別の別・支払条件] The shrine offering（初穂料 [AMOUNT]）is paid to the shrine, not to us.
Four reasons couples choose us
i
Five languages, not one
English, Español, Deutsch, 繁體中文 and Bahasa Indonesia — from the first email to the words said at the altar.
ii
A kitchen that can cook for you
Our chef holds the Vegetable Sommelier qualification. Vegan, vegetarian and allergy-aware menus are made in our own kitchen, not ordered in.
iii
Half a day, not a year
Dressing, ceremony, photographs. You are back in Kyoto by the afternoon with the rest of your trip intact.
iv
A shrine, not a chapel set
[SHRINE NAME]. A working shrine in Kyoto, with its own priests and its own calendar.
The questions we are asked first
Does this make us legally married in Japan?
No. A marriage in Japan is registered at a city office, not at a shrine. This is a ceremony experience: nothing here changes your legal status, in Japan or at home.
We are already married. Is that strange?
It is the most common reason couples come to us. In English this is usually called a vow renewal, and a Shinto ceremony suits it well — the rituals are about gratitude and the life ahead, not about signing anything.
Can our parents and children take part?
Yes. The eighth ritual exists precisely for that: everyone present shares sake and the families are joined. Tell us how many of you there are and we will arrange it.
Can we use the film at our wedding at home?
Yes. The footage is yours, with no restriction on personal use. If you would like us to cut a shorter version for a reception screen, ask.
One of us is vegan / has a food allergy.
Our chef holds the Vegetable Sommelier qualification and the menus are cooked in our own kitchen, so this is handled properly rather than worked around. Tell us the details on the inquiry form.
Tell us the month. We will tell you what is possible.
Six short questions is all we need. No deposit, no commitment, and an answer within 2 business days.