At a wedding, rigidity usually means keeping everyone vertical as the drinks start to flow. In Japan, it also describes a growing problem with the price of admission.

Like many people in their mid-40s, it had been a while since I was last at a wedding, as my demographic had long since either paired off or stayed single. So long, that at the recent ceremony of a friend and colleague, I had to check one tradition: How much I am supposed to give.

In Japan, instead of a present or bridal registry, it’s customary to offer newlyweds cash, known as go-shugi. It’s one of those charming (if, at times, expensive) customs that smooth over social interactions and eliminate potential faux pas, with the amount helpfully dictated by convention, typically ¥30,000 ($183 at the time of this writing) for a friend’s wedding or ¥50,000 if attending as a couple.

These numbers hadn’t changed in my quarter-century here. But the last time I went to a wedding was well before COVID-19. The subsequent wave of inflation has made getting married more expensive, along with everything else. The cost per guest has risen about a third, according to one survey, as inputs for labor, energy and, above all, food and drink have surged for the first........

© The Japan Times