'Marriage Without a Groom' - How a Japanese Adult Film Actress Changed Perspectives on Marriage

Wedding Ceremony Without Groom
"Signal of Changing Times... Breaking Away from Tradition"

It has been reported that Japanese women are increasingly choosing so-called 'solo weddings.' Unlike traditional weddings, this is a way of conducting the ceremony by oneself. The Hong Kong South China Morning Post (SCMP) highlighted the growing popularity of 'solo weddings' in Japan on the 2nd (local time). A solo wedding is a ceremony conducted alone without a groom, and since the women experiencing the ceremony are not necessarily non-marriage advocates, it is distinguished from a non-marriage ceremony.

Adult film actress Sakura Mana is known as a pioneer of solo weddings. In March 2019, she held a solo wedding and put a ring on her own finger. At that time, Sakura Mana vowed, "I respect my life, and whether healthy or sick, I will always love myself and make myself happy."

One of the pioneers of the 'solo wedding' is Japanese adult film actress Sakura Mana.
[Image source=Instagram capture]

Since then, solo weddings have gradually spread among young women in Japan. For example, a woman named Hanaoka, who held a solo wedding at a restaurant in Tokyo, invited 30 friends to the event. It is reported that she spent 250,000 yen (approximately 2.14 million KRW) on the wedding alone.

Regarding her choice of a solo wedding, Hanaoka explained, "Just because I am marrying myself doesn't mean I don't want to marry a man." She added, "For the past three years, I have started doing things that make me happy, such as wearing beautiful clothes, eating delicious food, and taking baths with flower petals." The solo wedding is part of what makes her happy.

It is not only unmarried women who have solo weddings. In 2018, a married woman named Yukie also held a solo wedding. At that time, she said she pursued the solo wedding to recreate the feeling of being a bride and as a way to say goodbye to her past self.

A Japanese marriage market expert regards the boom in solo weddings as evidence of changing social views on 'marriage.' A planner from a Japanese wedding company told SCMP, "Solo weddings are a sign of changing times," emphasizing, "Many Japanese women know they can support themselves without necessarily getting married and are not bound by traditional roles in the household."