A Kanazawa Wedding Party

During Golden Week I spent some time in Kanazawa.  In my previous blog you can see what I did during the day, but here is a little look into what I did during the night.

I was able to experience my first Japanese wedding after-party.  Now, I come from a family that is always growing in numbers.  I have almost 50 first cousins which means family reunions, such as weddings, can be rather crowded.  This makes for quite a rowdy after party when friends and more distant relatives are thrown into the mix.  Add an open bar, some music, and a dance floor and you’ll have a night to remember.  The only problem in Japan is, there were no family members, music, or dancing at the after party.  But that isn’t to say we didn’t have fun.

The after party lasted for about 2 hours with unlimited food and drinks.  And as a gift to the bride and groom, there was a $75 charge at the door.

The grooms tend to dress in white tuxedos.  The brides usually have gown changes from a white dress, to a kimono, to a more colorful dress.  The changes are done throughout the wedding so I only had the chance to see one dress.  However, not all brides change gowns considering how expensive it can be.

There were name tags for registered guests at each seat.  You can see mine below.  My name stood out from the rest of the names because the script used for foreign names is much different from what is used for Japanese names.  Our seats were next to a window and the venue was right above the center of downtown Kanazawa.

During the reception, there were readings from the “best man” and “maid of honor” along with other games which gave more flavor to the party.  My table however, was particularly rambunctious so I wasn’t able to focus on any of the activities they were trying to carry out.  Add a little alcohol and a language barrier, and everything becomes exponentially more difficult. (or maybe interesting)

Afterward, the wedding party and some of their friends headed to karaoke so we dropped in for a minute before going on to another place.  With the number of attractions that are available in any given downtown area, it is easy to find something to do.  Especially, if you are with a group of people that are a little bit crazy, it makes anything interesting.

I can’t wait for the next chance I have to go back to Kanazawa.  If I had to choose a place that feels most like home, it would be here.