Enkai

I just got back from my first enkai - the notorious Japanese co-worker drinking party. It is actually rather odd that I have lived in Japan this long without going to one, but there were some unusual circumstance and my school has not had one since I arrived.

The enkai is a really interesting part of Japanese culture, and they are famous among foreigners as being the time when you see your typically straight-laced co-workers get all goofy and finally say what they really think. They actually serve an important function -- Most Japanese people are so shy, and there are very strict social rules they have to follow, so alcohol provides a much needed outlet for everything that gets pent up everyday. In Japanese society, the primary concern is with harmony and politeness, meaning people often can't say what they really need to say, for fear that it might cause discomfort or embarrassment to the other person. But once people start drinking, all the rules go out the window. And the idea is that anything - I mean anything - can be said at an enkai, with no repercussions the next day. The drinking is a convenient excuse, and anything that is said or done gets blamed on the alcohol. And the next day, no matter what happens, people go back to business as usual. What happens at the enkai, stays at the enkai. Not surprisingly, this where a lot of work problems finally get talked about or actually solved.

Enkais are also famous among foreigners as being the time when the secret English speakers come out of the woodwork, and people that have not spoken to you all year are suddenly your best friend. Another funny characteristic about Japanese people is that although most of them know a least a little English, they are usually too shy to speak it, which comes out of the fact that the education system focuses so much of grammatical accuracy rather than communication. Furthermore, they hate to embarrass themselves, so most will avoid speaking to foreigners, even if their English is rather good. Again, when the alcohol flows, this goes out the window. I have a friend who had a math teacher (who had never spoken a word to him for two years) sit next to him for a whole hour and pour out everything about his life story: his marriage problems, his issues with teaching, his depression -- really personal stuff, and the next day he wouldn't even so much as say hello.

So you can see why I was looking forward to it! This enkai was actually rather tame though, probably because it was a smaller group of teachers and half weren't even drinking. But it was still fun. I got to see some of my normally stiff coworkers loosen their ties and get a little red in the face, and my vice-principal who almost never speaks to me asked me out for pizza. And the food! The food was kick ass - sushi and sashimi followed by tempura followed by crab miso soup followed by dessert - the usual feast complimented by free flowing beer. Sigh, I am gonna miss the food here when I go....

I have oodles and oodles of photos to post, but I don't think I will ever get around to most of them. I haven't really been in the mood to sit at the computer lately, which is actually a good thing!! But here are a few for now....

This is the cherry tree right outside my bedroom window, right before a big storm rolled in.

Right around the corner from my apartment.

Spring in Japan is so beautiful....

Now that is what I call exotic food!