It all started with a fish. A wedding fish. They got married in Switzerland and are now living in Basel, but came back for a Japanese ceremony. We went to a party at Naomi's folks the Saturday before the wedding. We went to the store a little early to look for a white tie for David, since the standard men's dress at Japanese weddings is a black suit and white tie.
Funerals are a black suit and black tie.
A reversable tie would make formal wear even easier. There was a special counter for white ties, with about forty different styles. That was the cheapest one. We then met Mayumi and took a taxi to Naomi's, along with Mayumi's sidekick. Even though Mayumi had a detailed map, it took her and the taxi driver ages to actually find Naomi's house.