Saratoga News

Arnold and Joyce Del Carlo pose in traditional Japanese wedding attire.

Louise Webb

Del Carlos renewed their vows in Hiroshima, Japan

In November l994, while visiting Japan on a Sister City trip, Joyce and Arnold Del Carlo had a chance meeting with a Japanese woman in the Kyoto railroad station where they were having breakfast. The woman welcomed the chance to practice English, which she had been studying. The Del Carlos had learned from John Tauchi, the tour leader, that the Japanese often exchange business cards. Arnold didn't want to be late for the tour bus, so after having a brief conversation, he hastily handed the woman his business card and said, "Sayonara," thinking that would be the end of it.

A few weeks after the trip was over, the Del Carlos received a letter postmarked Hiroshima and couldn't imagine who could have sent it. After reading the letter, they realized it was from the lady in the Kyoto railroad station. The letter said she had been traveling in Kyoto when they met, but lived in Hiroshima. Her name was Naomi Takemyo. Arnold replied.

They began writing back and forth. Arnold, a well-known photographer in Saratoga, sent her photos of his family and pictures of local scenes. She exchanged pictures of her family. Naomi has two sons and a husband, Kuni Nori. She makes beautiful quilts for relatives and friends.

After several months of writing, the Del Carlos extended an invitation for the Takemyos to visit. Naomi, who worked as an accountant, saved her vacation days and came for a week's visit with her 23-year-old son, Naboru, in August of l995. She brought the Del Carlos one of her beautiful homemade quilts.

Conversations went well. If Naboru didn't know a word he wanted to say, he looked it up in his Japanese-American dictionary. Naomi and Naboru were surprised to discover that Japanese food was so accessible and that there were so many Japanese people and cars in our area. Both families had a great time, and their friendship deepened.

This April, the Del Carlos went to Hiroshima as the Takemyos' guests for a week and met Naomi's husband. The Del Carlos then went on to the island of Kyushu for an additional week. They were treated like royalty and felt very much at home.

On the fifth day of their visit in Hiroshima, Naomi told them there was to be a wedding. The Del Carlos were surprised to learn that it would be their own. Though they had been married for 45 years, Naomi wanted them to have a Japanese Shinto wedding ceremony at a Shinto shrine. She had rented their wedding attire for the ceremony.

It took over two and a half hours for the dressers to help Joyce with all the traditional ceremonial undergarments and the exquisite silk kimono wedding gown and headpiece. Special makeup was applied, and they even had a black wig for her. Beautiful ornaments went into the hairpiece.

Naomi was very excited because her son had been married in the same place in August of the previous year. At that time, Naomi was not allowed to see the bride's preparation because it was her daughter-in-law's wedding. But this time she watched Joyce getting ready for the wedding and loved it.

It took the dressers only a half-hour to dress Arnold as the groom. Since the ceremony was in Japanese, the Del Carlos were a little apprehensive, but Naboru assured them he would give them signals at the right time. During the wedding, Naboru had difficulty hiding his mirth between signals. The Del Carlos got through the ceremony and celebrated with sake and a formal dinner with the Takemyos and some of their relatives afterward.

It was an experience the Del Carlos will never forget, thanks to their gracious hosts.

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