1. A day at the Kobe Princess Palace wedding parlour -- 2. From home weddings to wedding parlour productions -- 3. The Kobe Princess Palace: wedding producers and their customers -- 4. Bridal dressers as carriers of tradition -- 5. The Japanese bride as a packaged product -- 6. The production of traditions in the ceremonial occasions industry -- Conclusion: consuming Japaneseness
Summary
Packaged Japaneseness examines what is called the Ceremonial Occasions industry in Japan, in particular the commercialized production of contemporary weddings there. Based on anthropological fieldwork conducted in a wedding parlour, the study examines the production of Japanese ceremonial from the 'backstage' commercial point of view, focusing on weddings rather than marriage, and hence on the activities of the wedding producers rather than its principal actors. Main themes are the invention and production of tradition - both Japanese and western - for the purpose of consumption; the commercial and gendered packaging of the bride; and presentations of Japaneseness both as practice and as metaphor
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 177-187) and index
