My First Nomikai

So for those of you who know what a nomikai is, you are probably wondering how I went almost two years living in Japan without going to one. I will explain momentarily. For those of you who don’t know what a nomikai is, it literally means drinking gathering. It is a cultural aspect of Japanese work life. Almost all Japanese schools, companies, etc. hold nomikai regularly as a way for the employees to relieve stress and form better relations with each other. Japan is a very work-oriented country. People (in my humble opinion) overwork themselves and put work in front of all other things in their life. Hence one of the reasons the marriage and birth rates are declining while the suicide rate is high. I have coworkers who work so hard that they are physically ill. Many teachers I work with work on Saturdays and Sundays as well, meaning they don’t get a day off...like ever! Even during vacations, most teachers must come to work. Maybe national holidays are the only exception. Anyway, I digress. So back to nomikai; they are usually held after work and go to last train. Coworkers get together at a restaurant or bar after work and eat and drink (usually it’s all you can drink). It’s socially acceptable to get completely trashed because it’s seen as a positive way to escape the stress of work. The funny thing is that after one sip has passed through your lips, it’s an all access pass to act like a complete idiot with no judgment, even if you are not actually drunk. I’ll admit though, many (but not all) Japanese people I know actually are drunk by the time they finish their first drink. Usually the nomikai is followed by an after party and sometimes even an after party after the first after party! These often take place at smaller venues where the focus is not eating and drinking, but only drinking. Karaoke booths and small bars are popular options for after parties.

So now that I’ve explained what a nomikai is, I’ll tell you why it took me this long to go to one. It’s very simple actually. My school is in the middle of nowhere, it’s full of older people (well the new school year has brought younger teachers, but before that, there were few), and hardly anyone at my school likes to drink (or can’t because almost everyone drives to work). So we have no nomikai. Plus, my school is known for being kind of strict, and many teachers work until late. When I switch schools after summer vacation, I will be at a school where there is a nomikai by default basically every Friday night. I’m looking forward to that. Haha!

Next, you might be wondering how I finally got to go to a nomikai. I heard from the ALT working at the school I’ll be transferred to in the summer that there was a nomikai being held for all four schools in my town. Every year, teachers get switched around, and many new people come and go. Therefore, this nomikai’s purpose was to allow people to meet before being transferred. That way when they arrived at the new school, there would be some familiar faces. People tend not to put memos on my desk because they think I can’t read them (which is often true, but I’m getting much better), so I fear I may have missed other opportunities in the past. However his time, I saw the memo for the nomikai because I was looking out for it since the other ALT told me about it previously. I jumped on the opportunity, especially since I will be transferred.

Like I said, hardly anyone drinks at my school, so I was the only one who was going to attend which I was kind of nervous about. Luckily the woman who I practice tea ceremony with who is also a teacher in my town said she’d be there. When I got there, I actually recognized a couple other people because of town meetings and because one teacher had worked with me previously. One other teacher actually ended up coming from my school, but I found out later that he was forced to because it would look bad if I was the only one to go from my school, and I’m not even Japanese. I felt bummed when I learned that. I thought he went simply because he wanted to.

So about the nomikai itself; they say it’s bad form to talk about the details of what happens and what is said at a nomikai, so I will spare you the details and give you the main events. I would say that there were around 40 people at the nomikai. Mostly everyone was pretty young. It was really exciting for me to meet a bunch of other young lively teachers who liked to party. The venue was really classy. It was held at the Asahi Panorama Sky Restaurant in the business area of Kyobashi. There was a very nice view of Osaka Castle all lit up. There was nice food and all-you-can-drink. I don’t like beer, so I drank wine all night. Beer is usually the choice among most people, though. Some people will switch drinks after a couple beers.

View from our private room. Osaka Castle! :)

When I got there, we all drew numbers for our seating assignments. There were six people at each table. I hit it off with most of the other teachers right away. I was shocked at how many young (and attractive) people were working as teachers in Shijonawate haha! There were a lot of funny conversations. I actually became kind of popular because first of all, I’m a foreigner speaking Japanese, and secondly, I’m better at drinking than most of the men! Haha! Halfway through, we redrew numbers to change up the seats. That way we could meet and talk with more people. My second table was even more fun! People were all loosened up, and everyone seemed to be having a good time. In the last half hour, it was free reign to go sit and talk to whoever you wanted. I felt like I was able to form some bonds with people so when I go to my new school, we will already have some inside jokes and whatnot.

After the nomikai, there was one after party until last train. It was at a restaurant/bar called Nine that I actually went to the previous day with my friend! It was a funny coincidence. We had a couple drinks and headed our separate ways. It was a really good time! It left me looking forward to all the nomikai in the future.

So my advice to anyone working in Japan is to definitely go to some nomikai! Even if you don’t drink, you can drink juice or something and socialize with everyone (and enjoy watching a side of them you don’t get to see at work). You will still have to pay the same fee as everyone else, and they may give you some crap about not drinking at first, but they will let it go eventually and be happy that you wanted to participate regardless. If you do drink, then hey ho! go have a blast!