The Plan: October 13 · 当日のスケジュール
The Plan
The ceremony is at 空想の森 アルテジオ ("Forest of Imagination Artegio", which sits inside the 山荘無量塔 (Sanso Murata) complex. Everything else, the private onsens, dinner, the salon bar, and breakfast the next morning, is at 山荘わらび野 (Sansou Warabino), a short drive away, where our guests' stay is our treat.
3 pm ~ 3:30 pm
Ceremony — 空想の森 アルテジオ (Artegio)
The procession ceremony takes place at アルテジオ — a museum, café, and gallery complex inside 山荘無量塔, built around the relationship between music and visual art. Works by John Cage, Man Ray, and Cy Twombly.
4 pm
Back to わらび野/Warabino — Relax & Cocktail Hour at the 檀香梅 Salon
Return to the inn. This is unstructured time — rest, walk the garden, settle in! There will be cocktail hour at the inn's wine bar, with soft music and conversation.
6 pm
Dinner & Reception — わらびの
Dinner/reception together at the central building at the inn. Fresh seafood from the Bungo Channel, 豊後ゆふいん牛 wagyu, vegetables from the inn's own garden.
Evening
Return to Room
Return to your rooms, soak in the natural onsen, change into your yukatas. For anyone who wants to see more of Yufuin's nightlife, the bars at the Big Three inns are a short walk away.
Next morning
Breakfast Together
A slow morning at わらびの before the day goes wherever it goes. We'll say our goodbyes and depart after everyone's had a chance to eat and take a last couple of walks.
The Date · 日取り
The Date
We chose October as it falls in the beginning of autumn in Yufuin, with the temperature difference between night and day creating a thick mist around the town. It is also the month of culture and food where the entire town celebrates with events and faires surrounding eating. The particular date falls on a particularly auspicious day in the Japanese calendar, as well.
大明日
Daimyonichi
Literally translates to "sky and land opens, and sun shines throughout the corners of the world", meaning everything you do this day goes well.
大安
Taian
"Great peace." The most auspicious day in the Japanese six-day calendar cycle, traditionally chosen for weddings and new beginnings.
In the Taiwanese 黃曆 (Huang Li) calendar, October 13th also lands as an auspicious day: the Day Pillar is 庚申, the Metal Monkey, and the day is marked as 開日 (Open Day), a day considered favorable for new beginnings!
Our Story · 二人のこと
How we met
and came together
Suzuka was born in Beppu and grew up in Kumamoto, both in Kyushu. Her family moved to Belmont, Massachusetts when she was eight for her father's research, and they eventually moved back to Tokyo together. Suzuka later came to New York alone for Columbia, and has been thereabouts since. She has been playing violin since before she can remember. No matter where she has lived, Yufuin has always held a special place in her heart.
Sam grew up in South Jersey, the son of a father from Shanghai and a mother from Keelung, Taiwan. Every summer, his grandparents would take the family to Japan after they arrived in Taiwan — his grandfather spoke Japanese and wanted the boys to learn. Although they only ended up with American-accented Chinese and no Japanese, they cultivated an unspoken appreciation for the complex cultural ties between the two nations. Sam has also been playing violin since before he can remember, and traveled to New York around the same time for Columbia.
Suzuka was convinced she recognized Sam from the New England Conservatory in Boston. Sam had to assure her, multiple times, that he'd never stepped foot in NEC and that he was certainly not who she was thinking of.
We met freshman year at Columbia in Manhattan in orchestra, where Sam asked Suzuka to borrow a pencil every week ("I had one in my violin case but liked asking anyway"). We parted ways for a while, but in junior year, we ended up sitting next to each other in an organic chemistry class in Havemeyer Hall. We started dating April 5th, 2019.
The 空想の森 ("Forest of Imagination") Artegio Museum is dedicated to the relationship between music and visual art. The owner of the facility was a former patient of Suzuka's father, so she visited it often as a child and it was a precious place for her.