Nomikai

Nomikai (Japanese飲み 会; German " drinking society" ) are intra-group celebrations to strengthen professional connections and a typical for the Japanese company is part of social life.

Nomikai are an integral part of all working and training conditions. Employees are not explicitly required to participate, but she is expected to some extent, since such parties are not considered private events or leisure, but as a social aspect of the work.

None of Nomikai participants alcohol consumption is required, but very often can such events or the following things into full-blown " booze " degenerate.

Expiration

Nomikai be held at various occasions, such as at the completion of key projects, the achievement of certain goals, anniversaries, or school sporting events or the stated acquisition or retirement of colleagues. At least one organizer (干事kanji) is each responsible for the preparation, usually this is not the person for whom the celebration takes place.

Nomikai are often held in restaurants or izakayas, where all participants usually sit together at a large table or in a separate room.

At the beginning of the event, the organizers hold a short welcome speech, followed by the manager, president or CEO who speaks a few words of retrospection and encouragement. This speech is ended with a toast, then begins the informal part. Are new employees or guests present, it is common that imagine this with the other participants. This usually involves a tour of the employees within the group with a bottle of beer ( or sake / Shōchū ) from which he einschüttet his new colleagues a glass.

Nomikai are almost always ended in that all stand up and clap their hands together. There are two main variants of this clap: ippon - jime (about: A Clap end ) and sanbon - jime (about: Three - clap - end ). The latter consists of three times a three-time clapping, followed by a single clap. All of this can again be repeated three times, so that a total of up to applause 30 times.

Sometimes at the end ( shime ) a loud deference is applied to the organizer or an honored participant, or it is sung with the company or school song.

Usually, all participants pay regardless of actual consumption by the same amount for food, drinks and entertainment. Leftover money will then be used for organizing the next Nomikai.

After Nomikai, participants often share into smaller groups and looking at various bars. Such " after parties " are as nijikai (二次 会, second meeting ) called. Such attendance is voluntary, so the groups are often composed of friends or people who are just interested in drinking. If it were actually made to another drinking spree, this sanjikai (三次 会, third meeting ) is called.

Bonenkai

A special form of Nomikai provide annual graduation ceremonies is, so-called Bonenkai (忘年 会). While only members of the same department or a given business area participate in Nomikai eg, Bonenkai can also be organized for all company employees.

In large companies it can often also be individual Bonenkai for each department, which take place at other times than the total Bonenkai.

The meaning of the festival is "forget the year ", which does not mean what happened is to displace, but your head to get to the tasks of the coming year.

Code of Conduct

In Nomikai avoiding to fill one's own glass, but also offers other to fill their glass. This is particularly true for Sempai - kohai relationships where the rangniederere or younger participants the older first offering to pour. Frequently Asked higher the offers then fill the glass of the younger ones. This behavior is not understood as a fawning but as a harmonious workplace climate -promoting behaviors.

In Japan it is socially acceptable to get drunk at Nomikai, often to the point of self-indulgence. Things that are said or done under these conditions will not be officially acknowledged and no longer come to the language in the subsequent working day. Therefore, there may be very direct and violent clashes between colleagues with different rank, which would not occur in the workplace in these parties. This phenomenon is bureikō (无礼 讲) called.

On the other hand, no one should be forced to drink at Nomikai. A participant who cancels (further) alcohol consumption, can show this by ordering a non-alcoholic beverage, or by allowing the full glass.

Related terms

Enkai (宴会) means banquet, and is often used as a generic term for Nomikai and Bonenkai.