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Published: December 21st 2008
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As the second semester of the Japanese school year came to a close on Friday, thus began the annual End-of-the-Year Staff Party season. There are two or three 年会 nenkai (lit. “year party”) every year, but the 忘年会 bonenkai (lit. forget year party) is the usually the most important. Lucky for me, I go to so many schools that I’m bound to be invited to at least one, as was exactly the case. So on Friday evening, I met the other teachers and principles of 和光中学校 Wako Junior High School at a sushi restaurant to share in some good holiday cheer over some delicious food and drink.
By the way, I have to first mention that this party is for staff only—no families invited. It’s a good thing, because children and loved ones should never have to bear witness to the shenanigans that go on during these things. The night started pretty innocently, as one usually does, and I was directed to my randomly chosen seat, which also happened to be right next to 校長先生 kocho-sensei (school principle). I asked him how he was feeling, to which he unflinchingly replied 強い tsuyoi “STRONG!” I knew at that moment that he
Appetizer
"Nabe" stew on the left, shellfish and tempura in front. was purely referring to the fact that he was up for a solid night of drinking, and he did not disappoint. When all the teachers were seated, kocho-sensei got up to give the opening speech, which concluded with the customary 乾杯 kampai “Cheers!” Here’s where things start to get interesting. No sooner had I brought my beer glass down from my lips, that it was being replenished. This would become a reoccurring theme, as my glass could never manage to fall below half-empty (or hall-full?). Let there be no doubts about it, these parties are full-fledged drinking parties where everyone gets thoroughly sloshed. And the Japanese, with their legendary low tolerance and skin pigment reaction to alcohol, make no attempts to hold back their inebriation.
Of course, there were other aspects to this party besides downing beer, 焼酎 shochu (Japanese vodka), and 酒 sake. There were the sober office ladies and other teachers that had the responsibility of driving home their non-sober co-workers. And, there was the food.
The food was nothing short of amazing and abundant. The meal consisted of about 5 courses, starting with a tempura, shellfish, and soup appetizer, moving to a 刺身 sashimi course,
Trivia
I got exactly zero answers correct then the main course of whole fish, then a 寿司 sushi course, and finally ending with a fruit plate for dessert. Wow. I can’t tell you exactly all the things I ate (mostly because I choose not to ask, in fear of what the answer might be. “What? This is raw horsemeat? Then why is it so delicious?”), but everything was quite tasty, well presented, and pleasantly filling.
When we weren’t busy eating, drinking, and speaking in rough Engrish/Japanese, we were kept captivated by the party games and activities we were doing. Though I’ve never been to a bridal or baby shower, I can imagine that the games we played were quite similar. There were trivial, ring-tossing, and gift exchange games that happened to be quite fun (eventhough I’m never entirely sure what’s going on). The finale came when one teacher disappeared only to reemerge dressed in a full Santa-Claus get-up and hand out presents. This was thoroughly enjoyable.
The night inevitably came to an end with the second kampai, which marked the official end to the party but people still stayed a bit longer to socialize. One thing that struck me as odd was when I looked
Main Course
My first time eating a whole fish...and easily one of the most delicious things I've ever eaten! around for a few teachers that had disappeared without saying goodbye. I asked the English teacher why this was the case, and she explained that after the second kampai, you should not disturb the other members by saying goodbye. I understood, but was disappointed to not say goodbye to these teachers. Us Americans take great leisure in saying our goodbyes at the end of a party, and I was looking forward to doing so.
It was definitely a great time. I got so see the usually stress-out teachers cut loose a little bit, ate some delicious food, and even taught the others some American culture. That’s right…I introduced them to the “Sake Bomb”, which some found the courage to partake in.
I’m also thoroughly looking forward to another bonenkai for a different school on Monday!
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amelia
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AWESOME.