A mixed marriage and an English garden Thomas Warren-Price Oral Communication Teacher
	“Is your wife Japanese?” “Yes, she is.” “Really? Ehhhhh!” 　 The rising intonation of the above "Ehhhhh!" in this short exchange no longer surprises me. It's a question and exclamation I hear a few times a week. I would like to just put it down to young teenage student inquisitiveness. However, its adults who ask me too. Afterwards I feel like I have just lied that David Beckham is my twin brother, or that of all the pets I've ever kept, my three-legged, one-eyed tortoise was without doubt my best friend. I am English and hail from a village close to a town called Windsor. It has a big castle. Queen Elizabeth 2nd often goes there on state business. It teems with Japanese visitors and residents alike. They all seem to enjoy the historical nature of the place. None has thus far asked me, "Is your wife Japanese?" because in the UK, international marriages have been commonplace for quite a while. Besides, it is hard to make distinctions of nationality without seeming rather forward. But in Japan it seems that most young people are just starting to learn of international marriages by people they know, such as EFL teachers. They are eager to find out more about them. For example, take this other often asked question, "What language do you speak at home?" Unfortunately it doesn't suffice to say, "I complain in English and mumble in Japanese, and my wife scolds me in Japanese and asks favours in English". So I respond with, "I don't really know, just a mixture really." It's hard to explain, as neither my wife nor I are truly fluent in each other's mother tongue. I suppose we just ‘communicate’. 　Let me tell you a little secret; Japan and England are actually not so different. Setsuko (my date of five years) and I married in September this year (2002). We held the ceremony in my village, Bourne End. When I say that Japan and England are not so different, I mean that the wedding of a Japanese bride and an English groom still does hold a novelty value and attracts a bit of attention.
	We invited 60 guests to my tiny local church on the hill, and were surprised at having to entertain about a further 30, all keen to get a glimpse of the bride, her family and our Japanese friends. The Japanese contingency did not disappoint. All the ladies bar one (the bride) were in kimono. They didn't dress in the Japanese traditional black style for a wedding but instead went "all colorful - they looked like an English garden in full bloom", as one observer pointed out. That pleased me immensely as the bride herself had opted for a custom made ivory dress, (to keep the hassle of dressing-undressing to a minimum) but it meant that the English guests were also able to enjoy the beauty of kimono. It would have seemed rather odd and unsociable at an English wedding for the bride to disappear in order to change clothes two or three times during the party, as they do in Japan. It's also a bit tricky with so few skilled ‘maids’ on hand capable of assisting the bride in such matters. 　I, my Best Man, and the male members of my family went for the regular style of morning suit and top hat. The photos make us look like a typical English wedding with a twist of Japanese style. The rain held (it doesn't always rain in London), the drink flowed (including Asahi beer) and a fun time was had by all (until the Champagne ran out). It all took a lot of organizing, but with the help of an obliging mother, a number of generous friends, and the convenience of the internet it finally came together. Does anyone want a wedding 6400 miles away? Let me recommend an international marriage. But plan for extra guests.
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