Leaving before the strip club.

I’ve decided that I really like enkais.

Enkais are the Japanese equivalent of the office Christmas party. They are a formal work social event that takes place at least 3 times a year and often more. I’ve been to three so far. At each of them, the school books out a restaurant or hotel and a slap up meal is provided. They are always “nomehodai” which means…drink as much as you want.

So here’s a list of things that always happens at enkais-or at least the ones that I’ve been to:

-One teacher gets horrendously drunk and harasses the Principal. Every time. The Principal always goes easy on the alcohol, but without fail, one teacher will make a bit of a fool of himself (always HIMself) and end up with their sweaty arm round the Principal, trying to drag him to a strip club.

-The men get misogynistic. Honestly, these events can be like taking a step back to the 1950s. Usually I get taught some Japanese words and phrases that definitely aren’t in the Genki textbook. Sometimes I’m told “You should get a Japanese girlfriend”. If I tell people I’m not married, they tend to assume that I happily cheat on my girlfriend. Always, I’m told that I should get married. In general, we get to behave like wankers. I don’t approve of any of this, but I do quite enjoy going along with it for one evening every 3 months.

-The strip club. I’ve never been to a strip club. I don’t want to go to one. The key with enkais is to stick with the group for as long as possible to enjoy the increasingly drunken fun, whilst identifying the exact moment to leave so that you don’t have to be invited to the strip club. Or, indeed, act as a discouragement for everyone else who wants to go to the strip club.

-The food. It’s never very good. People tend to assume you’ve never eaten anything other than Toad in the Hole before.

-New friends. I always get speaking to someone who’s never shown any interest in me before but turns out to have great English skills. Often they are really interesting people. This is the main reason why I like enkais. My school is pretty intense and the teachers don’t have time to sit and chat. So enkais are a great opportunity to meet people. I don’t mind if it’s lubricated by alcohol, or even if they are the ones who invite me to the strip club later-I’ve really enjoyed getting to know the teachers at my schools and many of them are great company.

-Assumptions that you share in prejudiced beliefs. No, I don’t think it was a tragedy that Freddie Mercury was gay. That’s not my analysis of that particular issue.

-Difficult hierarchy/gender issues. I don’t feel comfortable with the way that the women and more junior staff come round and fill up everyone’s glasses. I also struggle with the exaggerated laughter at the principal’s jokes. In saying all that, I do accept that there’s no point just mindlessly applying North London expectations to the situation I’m in. In some respects, the system here does work, but I can’t ultimately agree with it or feel at ease when surrounded by it.

-We want to have a good time. People really do want to enjoy themselves. I like that there is a license to drink as much as you want and make a fool of yourself without there being any repercussions.  Sure, it’s organized fun, but it’s still fun.

Reading the above list, I can see that saying I like enkais might make it sound as if the negative things are part of the fun. In a way, that’s true-I’ll admit that I get a certain amount of enjoyment from going along with it all. It’s not really that different from being at school and having to spend time with the rugby types. If you’re in the right frame of mind and stay true to yourself, then you can actually have a decent evening.