howtofreetravel

A Japanese Nomikai is a very cultural Japanese thing to do . Drinking in japan is very much part of the job ( you are envious i know) . It’s not uncommon to hit a few beers with the boss or the co workers straight after work especially after working exhausting 14 hour shifts as Japanese tend to come to work earlier and leave later (it is expected of them ). So Therefore drinking is quite important and as are Nomikai’s . These event’s are great for a few reasons very easy to connect with other business people , just having fun , and making great memories as i have. I am a true testimony to the fact that a foreigner can integrate into Japanese society (although i do speak Japanese) as normally these events are for Japanese only . Luckily i have met Mr Nakano san via a few friends of mine and he has invited me to several Nomikai’s (i believe i had attended 5) . Normally these things cost between 5000 yen to 6000 yen and you can order anything you want basically within reason (everyone shares the cost). I can personally say i have been offered a job twice via these events and i was only in Tokyo for a few weeks so it is great for making connections and Japanese friends .


That’s me over there way over there in the background waving . As you can see Nomikai’s normally have between 14 to 25 people in them. The participants are normally salary men (business people) and quite friendly . The Nomikai environment is quite forgiving so even if you do something stupid because you got drunk it’s normally forgiven (unlike american culture).

Nakano san was getting very touchy but all in good spirit

Some more of my Japanese friends i have made during this time’s Nomikai.

As you can see things were getting pretty wild at some point .

This was some kind of gnocchi but with a Japanese fusion to it which kind of tasted like a mix of gnocchi and Takoyaki (god it was delicious )

Very hard to describe this some kind of fried fish with a Japanese twist it was also amazing

Mr Nakano the organizer of the Nomikai (weekly almost) . To conclude Nomikai’s are an amazing part of Japanese culture and you should all try to attend one at least once in your life. It has personally changed my life and created life long friends and possibly future work opportunities .

P.s if anyone is in tokyo and wants to see how a japanese nomikai is like feel free to ask me and i can refer you

kniesel

What a great opportunity! Your'e very correct, not something that many westerners would have the chance to experience!
Thanks for sharing.

Moomba

As this is not a trip report I shall move it over to the Japan forum.

Moomba
Moderator: Trip Reports

AlwaysAisle

Nomikai (飲み会) sure is part of salary men’s (サラリーマン) life in Japan. If Nomikai is by colleagues from work then although Nomikai is far more casual then workplace but still some basic of workplace hierarchy still applies.

The picture posted has equal number of males and females all siting alternatively, is it possible that this Nomikai (飲み会) had some aspect of Gokon (合コン)?　　　

abmj-jr

Looks like gokon to me as well.

jib71

Do you believe that we can co-exist peacefully?

On a more serious note, do you have permission from your friends to post their photos online? IIWY, I'd blur the faces at least.

Pickles

I can't stand work-related nomikais. An opportunity to hang out with people I wouldn't want to be with even when they're sober. I dislike them even more than greengrocer's apostrophes.

jib71

In the Japanese vegetable trade you'd have the trifecta - people you wouldn't want to be with, work-related nomikai, and greengrocer's apostrophes. The cheap daikon would be some compensation, I suppose. Which gets me to thinking ... Is a daikon wholesaler a "daikon oroshiya"? And are they constantly turning down orders for daikon oroshi?

howtofreetravel

I have permission

5khours

Lucky you. You've penetrated the exclusive and heretofore secret world of the Japanese nomikai. You're probably the only round-eye on the planet to have been to one.

nishimark

[Quote=Originally Posted by howtofreetravel View Post
I am a true testimony to the fact that a foreigner can integrate into Japanese society (although i do speak Japanese) as normally these events are for Japanese only .]

Welcome to the Japan Forum!

Yeah, I think that nomikai might be like temples. The first few are amazing. The next hundred after that are all the same and equally void of life.

IMOA

I'd agree. There's also the bit about how Nakano-san organises these almost weekly which screams gokon to me as well.

LapLap

"as normally these events are for Japanese only"

News to me. It's great that the OP had a wonderful time and is offering others a way to replicate his experience but I don't share the view that they are for "Japanese only".

People who go to these parties usually have a natural connection to each other. Same as with parties anywhere else in the world. I'd even say that a Japanese nomikai is less exclusive than a British work party. My daughter has not been able to attend any of the British equivalents I've been invited to. She has been attending Japanese nomikai since she was 2. LapChild is a 4 year old who doesn't speak any Japanese. I don't either.

There are other ways to experience something similar that might not seem so "forced" as the "blind date" referral option given. If there is an interest or passion you have it will almost inevitably be shared by many Japanese people. See if you can find any blogs or clubs of like minded people and see if they are organising any get togethers that coincide with your visit.
I have an interest in traditional Japanese clothing and have developed a friendship with a blogger. She organises events and occasionally my visit will coincide with one. Have had great fun at these and met wonderful people, plenty to talk about too as we have an interest in common to break the ice. The fact that everyone is wearing kimono is almost irrelevant. If Hawaiian Hula dancing is your thing or you love vintage cars there'll be a group of regular meeters who I'm sure will be happy to welcome you to one of their gatherings.

BalbC

Lucky them.

Also doesn't look like a nomikai demographic to me. Not that that is a bad thing. Glad the OP enjoyed the experience though.

howtofreetravel

I was talking about the normal tourist who has no time for that