Is there such a thing as a Japanese hen night?

[Taurus]

My sisters are trying to organise a hen night for my wife (we're already married on paper, but we're having a proper ceremony in March). And they were wondering if there are any sort of hen night customs in Japan (ie. customs for the bride's last night before the wedding). Does anybody know?

[Gyroscope]

What's a hen night?

[Taurus]

It's a British tradition: the night before the wedding, the bride and groom each go and have a night out with their friends - the bride's night is called a hen night, and the groom's night is called a stag do. Nowadays it tends to happen well before the wedding.

[gerald_ford]

In the States we call it a bridal shower I think. They can be pretty naughty, I'm told. In any case, I've never heard of one for Japanese women, though I am sure they go out and celebrate with friends in any case. My wife did the American-style bridal shower with my relatives when we were getting married, but she felt a bit out of place with some of the naughtier aspects.

I think the best thing is to go ahead and do the usual hen party/shower, but maybe tone it down a bit. Japanese women may not get all the inside jokes about marriage and such, so it might make them feel a bit awkward. Or so I gathered.