Bounenkai

I called my best friend in Japan last weekend and he was attending a 'bounenkai', and yesterday I got an email from another friend in Japan and she said she is having 5 bounenkai in the next few weeks. Five bounenkai? Yes, it's normal she said, if you are in Japan you will be invited to 'bounenkai' parties by friends, family, company, the division you work for, etc. Lucky you! I said, for me I normally have one 'bounenkai' only which we call it Christmas party and for me November - December are the busiest months at work, can't afford to have five parties.

'Bounenkai', literally means 'forget-the-year party, or you can call it year-end party where people get together at an izakaya, eat and drink, forget the bad things from the past year and expecting the better one to come, have fun and get ready to be drunk!