Revived riverside wedding

Visitors to a riverside garden in Ibaraki Prefecture enjoyed a traditional wedding ceremony procession on a boat amid irises in full bloom. Itako City, northeast of Tokyo, is surrounded by lakes and rivers where boats plying waterways was once a daily form of transportation.

Until the 1960s, it was customary for brides in white wedding kimonos to be seen on row boats heading to meet their bridegrooms. The revived tradition has become a highlight of the annual Suigo Itako Iris Festival. Recently married couples, or those planning to marry sent in applications to the city for a chance to take part in the event.