At Shikoku Aquarium in Kagawa Prefecture, a wedding ceremony was held earlier this month for a couple who had missed their chance due to the coronavirus pandemic.

In front of a 5.5-meter-tall, 11-meter-wide tank with some 1,300 fish inside, Mari Tsujimura and her husband Ryuji celebrated with a dozen relatives, and were cheered on by ordinary visitors to the aquarium as well.

Mari Tsujimura and her husband Ryuji hold their wedding ceremony at Shikoku Aquarium. 

The Tsujimuras married in August 2020 but were unable to hold their wedding ceremony amid COVID-19 restrictions in Japan. The couple later learned that the aquarium was available for weddings and Mari’s dream of putting on the wedding dress finally came true once the quasi-state of emergency in Kagawa Prefecture was lifted.

The aquarium, which has been renting out space for hosting events since 2020, has had about 30 couples using its venue to take pre-wedding photos, but this was the first time for a wedding ceremony to be held there.

At the ceremony, attended by the couple’s 11-month-old son Fuga and about 10 relatives, the Tsujimuras vowed to build a good family and to work together in good times and in bad. They also received a round of applause from other visitors at the aquarium.

“We had thought that it would be impossible to hold our wedding ceremony given the current circumstances, so we feel blessed and happy that we have finally made it,” the couple said. “We will come visit the aquarium every year with our child on this anniversary.”

The Shikoku Shimbun


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