Candle Service

Awww.....

Disco Inferno, let's go!

My name is Scott, and I will be your Beer Boy for this evening.

"Beer Time!! Get your Ice Cold Beer!!"

Cool Shot, Bry.

The Seiryu Room at Oirase Keiryu Grand Hotel

Cutting the Cake

The Ladies in my life.... Kotomi and Barb on stage.

Skottomi is presented before the world.... (nice shot, Takahiro!)

Scott, Kotomi, and Mums and Dads greet guests at the start of the reception.

"OK! Everybody into the picture!"

Thats it! We be hitched!! The ceremony had a noticeable LACK of shutterbug action. I think guests were either creeped out by the strange music, or trying hard not to trip on the wrinkly carpet. Kotomi looks blissfully happy; I think I look drunk from all that sake I had to drink!

Mom, Dad, and a nervous Scott before the ceremony.

Finally, Scott looks relaxed!

Wedding Portrait

Scott and his Homies, pre-ceremony.

Even when being draped in pounds of Kimono, a bride is never far from her Keitai.

Mr. and Mrs. Pike

Finished!!! Its all done and over. The guests have come and gone, the unpacking is proceeding at a lax pace, and there are now TWO Pikes living at Bijogi 2-16-9, Apartment 101. Kotomi and I were married on Sunday, August 21st in her home prefecture of Aomori. Early reviews told us that the ceremony and reception were "wonderful", "beautiful" and "tear-jerking", but rather than sit too high on our horse, we will just say that K and I worked hard to make it a fun time for all.

No doubt this little contribution to the blog will be lost in the sea of pictures I am about to post, but Mrs. Pike and I would again like to thank all of our friends and family who attended, as well as those who passed along their warm wished and kind words. Like I said at the wedding, our happiness is largely due to the love and support of you all.... THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!

Lastly, here is a brief re-cap of how the wedding went down, as seen from the perspective of the Gaijin Groom....

5:00am... Solitary onsen and mental preparation.
5:30 - 7:55am... Feverishly writing the speeches I had so far put off.
8:00am... Kotomi's Wardrobe and Make-up... Scott was still writing the speeches...
9:15am.... Scott slips into his Kimono
10:00am... Final wedding portrait (The heavens were kind and we got our wish of an outdoor shot)
11:00am... Ceremony rehearsal.... "Wait, wait... what was that middle part he said?"
11:07am... Ceremony - The 9 shots of sake helped to steady the nerves.... Dad, you did great!!!
11:30am... Group Wedding Photo.... again, outside.
12:30pm... Reception rehearsal.... "Ok, now explain it all to me one more time..."
1:00 - 4:00pm Wedding Reception including:
- Fantastic entrance with a rising stage and lush backdrop overlooking an outside fountain
- Wonderful speeches
- "Beer service" from Scott and the 20 kg. keg mounted on his back.
- Guest Karaoke, Janken Tournament (for MONEY!!), Video Tribute (a la Meaux), and Prize Giveaway!
- Special Yosakoi Dance from our dance troop friends... Special Dancer - Scott in his TUX!
- Canada Flag Cake
- Kotomi's Letter to her Parents
-AWESOME FOOD......... or so we were told (no time to eat for the Bride and Groom!)
5:15-7:30pm... The AFTER Party.... good friends and great singing at the local karaoke bar. Scott and Kotomi looked pooped but happy.
8:00pm-12:00am... The AFTER AFTER Party... our beautiful friends proceeded to cultivate memorable hangovers while the newlyweds proceeded to their suite for some much needed downtime. We ate the leftovers of our reception dinner and sipped Dom on our bed, replayed the day over and over in our heads, and passed out around ten.

We be rockin' proper at the Japan v. UAE footie match in June, 2005. Our boys lost this one, but they went on to clinch a berth in the 2006 World Cup. Doitsu e ikou!!! P.S. I am sorry for wearing my England jersey to a Japan game. If someone would be kind enough to please send me a Team Japan jersey in size XXXL (preferably with Nakamura Shunsuke's name and number on it), I will make sure this terrible faux pas never happens again :)

Please see the story below entitled "Better than Hiroshima?" ... and call me da Man!!!!

Yamanote Line passing DoCoMo Tower... Shinjuku

Meiji-Jingu, June 2005... Traditional Shinto Wedding. Will Scott and Kotomi's wedding look like this too? Your guess is as good as mine.

Kotomi Poppins on our Hanami pic-nic, April 2005. (Sorry for the lateness, I forgot to post these)

Hanami Scene - Everybody doing there own leisurely thing on a Hanami Saturday afternoon. Reminds me of a wood-block print. Scott is chillin' in the top right.

This one goes out to my Homies, namely Sam and Maurice. Sam, best takoyaki I have ever had. Maurice... LOOK!!!! ITS SMOTHERED IN MAYONNAISE AND EGG!!!

Hahaha!! Didn't I tell you all I was gonna be the King of Japan someday??!! Rollin', in my Five Point Oh!

May 14, 2005..... Kotomi and I have a new edition to the family. We don't know if it is a boy or a girl, but its birthday should be sometime soon. I am not going to tell you what it is, we will all wait for the big day together. Until then, post-up with your best guess!! P.S. Its about the size of a Tube Steak sausage and weighs about as much as a mandarin orange.... for now.

The dramatic serenity of Mount Fuji...... AND THE BEST PREMIUM OUTLET SHOPPING THIS SIDE OF THE PACIFIC!!! Gotemba - May 7, 2005

Reason I Love Japan (Number 13,983) - EBINA SERVICE AREA.... Kotomi, her sister Manami and I headed off to an outlet mall near Mt. Fuji. We kept wondering why so many Ferraris were passing us on the expressway. When we got to the Ebina Service Area, we found out why. This place was a FREAK SHOW of super cool cars - about 50-75 Italian beauties when I counted. It was also a fabulous FREAK SHOW of Japanese mania. Motorcyclists dressed up as cops and motor-cross champions (minus the mud, of course). All of this AND a fabulous place to stop, shop and eat.... all before 9 AM!

Dunno about you, but I think Scott is trying a little TOO hard to be all Zen.

Kotomi at Matsushima.

I tried for 30 minutes to get this shot. Kotomi got it on her second try.

Matsushima, bird, and Shrimp

Scene from a Hitchcock movie? Nope. Boat cruise at Matsushima.

Up at 4:30 am for this picture!!!

Matsushima... A series of tiny, oddly shaped islands with beautifully crazy pine trees growing on them. Also the sight for this picture (Scott's vote for best pic 2005 thus far).

Kotomi chowing down on her scrumtious dinner at the Century Hotel in Matsushima.

Scott enjoyed dinner too...

Scott prays at the site of the legendary Benkei (cool Japanese dude). Learn more here : http://www.artelino.com/articles/benkei.asp

Number 2 in my series of Cool Animal Pics Taken on Golden Week.

A Noh actor exiting the stage at Chusonji.

Another cool shot from Chusonji.

Procession in front of a temple at Chusonji (Iwate Prefecture).

Japanese Beauty

Maybe I was meant to be a Medieval Japanese Lord?

Forget Jaws, these little buggers are more scary... and slimy.

Getting the Wedding Portraits done and out of the way... you can catch this FABULOUS couple LIVE, August 21st at the Aomori Oirase Keiryu Grand Hotel.

Scott in Kawauchi... Why do I look like I'm in High School? Must be the hair.

Kotomi lost in thought in our old Kawauchi stomping grounds.

GOLDEN WEEK ROAD TRIP!!! Kotomi and I decided to travel into the very heart of the Beast: Golden Week on the Japanese Expressways. We prepared ourselves for a courageous 3:00 AM start, and were mildly surprised to find the rest areas almost full by 5:00 AM.