For many people, Mt. Fuji, or Fujisan (富士山) in Japanese, is one of the primary symbols of Japan. People have come from near and far to climb the sacred Mt. Fuji almost from the beginning of time, and after it became recognized as a World Heritage site in 2013 the number of visiting tourists have skyrocketed. If you find yourself in the area and are looking for a unique way to enjoy the view of Mt. Fuji (and you're more of the daring type) you might want to consider to go paragliding with the beautiful volcano in the backdrop.

Ikebukuro is a vibrant area where you in addition to an endless selection of places to shop and dine can find what might be Tokyo's widest selections of pet cafes. I have previously written about my visit to a bunny cafe in the area, and about Tokyo's one and only penguin bar, which also happens to be located in this part of the metropolis. This time I went to check out one of Ikebukuro's Owl Cafes with some of my friends.

In Japan it is very common to make a so-called Wedding Profile Video (プロフィールビデオ) that shortly introduces the happy couple and shows how they got together. Apparently as many as 71.9% of couples in Japan show Wedding Profile videos in their weddings, and among them 56.9% of the videos are made by the couple themselves. If you're interested in making a Wedding Profile Video for your big day you can check out some tips here:


7 tips for making a great Wedding Profile Video:
1. Focus on making a movie that guests won't get tired of watching
2. At the same time both the bride and groom should have a chance to show the pictures they want
3. Make a movie that contains comments and/or messages
4. ...That are shown at a speed where it's possible to read what is written
5. Even if the video doesn't have a clear development it should stick to its form
6. Give the video variation by using two to three songs
7. Make a video that doesn't disturb the progression of the wedding reception


There are some general guidelines for making a wedding profile video. First of all the video should be well balanced, and is usually divided into 3 parts; the background of the childhood of the groom, the bride and finally a section with the the happy couple together. Adding music is also an important part of the process, and most people choose between 1 to 3 songs for their video.

Part 1 & 2:
From baby to school age: Around 5-10 photos each
School age (from elementary school & up):
Around 10-15 photos each
Recent years: Around 5-10 photos each
Length: Approximately 2:30 min each

Part 3:
30+ photos (depending on your storyline, editing style & length of the song)
Length: Approximately 3 min

Total length of video: Around 6-8 minutes

As mentioned, one important thing to keep in mind is that it would be boring for guests if all the photos contained pictures of the bride/groom only. Adding photos that also include friends and family will make it a more interesting experience for the people that are watching.

My darling Yuma and I recently celebrated our wedding together, and I prepared this very, very simple homemade wedding profile video just using iMovie, the default movie editing program on Mac. Even though the quality might not be super top notch or anything we got a lot of positive feedback from our guests, who seemed to enjoy both the homemade style of the video as well as getting to know more about both our backgrounds and common story. If you have access to a regular video editing program and some time on your hands this type of video could be a great way to spice up your wedding ceremony.!

If you have any questions or comments feel free to drop a note below! Thanks for reading :) -Anette

• All blogposts about wedding
• How to make a Japanese Wedding Profile Video (プロフィールビデオ)
• Happy Wedding: Reusing my Mom's Old Wedding Dress
• White Pigeon Wedding Modeling in Kyoto! 
• Modeling for Kyoto Weddings: My Japanese Wedding, or the day I (Almost) Married a Stranger