Bonenkai

Bonenkai are year-end parties, generally celebrated with colleagues, bosses and sometimes friends. It can be literally translated as "Forget-the-Year Party", and is just another custom that I thrive on here. I mean, who the hell wouldn't want to forget the year?!? But seriously, bonenkai are an important part of company and social bonding, and they usually involve a lot of drinking - the better to put the old year to bed and get ready to start afresh in the New Year. I love that idea - that we can let things go, we can live in the now, and mistakes made can be "forgotton". Everyone welcomes a fresh start, afterall.

Brian and I had a very small bonenkai this year - just four of us all told, and we just went to our local izakaya. It was great - the people we work with are good, intelligent, competent folks, and personable to boot. But still - the four of us work side-by-side, day-in and day-out, year after year...You see what I'm getting at. A bonenkai was definitely in order!

The evening started innocently enough:



But shortly turned into something like this:




It was a great night, and a great way to tie up business and personal affairs. The evening finally ended with two Japanese businessmen joining our table for a chat - for me, the best part of the evening. A rare chance to just talk to regular, local folks who were themselves having a bonenkai.