poker face

So it’s a new year and (being that I haven’t had the time or motivation to write for a long long time) I am also coincidentally at the crux of spring in Japan. My kotatsu has been fairly abandoned, though I would not in any case say that it is quite Spring yet. Still got the heater on and today it snowed a little. Some of you may think that I am a bit delusional in my description of what constitutes ‘the crux’ of Spring, but it’s coming, I can feel it. Literally I mean, it hasn’t gone below 0 (30 F) for a while now, even gotten past the 10s (50 F) a few times. Once it was actually hot outside, well at least from the perspective of a person wearing 3 layers of clothing and an overcoat. Change is upon us and I’m looking forward to what a Shimane Spring is like, I’ve heard good things.

So what exactly (more or less) has been happening over here?

Well it has come to my attention that I have yet to write about Japanese office parties, the enkai, as it were. Let me explain that there is an important difference between American office parties and Japanese office parties. For one, I haven’t seen any cake over here, which, coming from my movie-watching experience, is fairly essential to most American office parties. Secondly, and more notably, there is a point of difference concerning the after-math of said parties. In both countries, people make fools of themselves in front of their coworkers, understandable given the tendency for copious amounts of liquor to be available at these events. The day after the tomfoolery has occurred, many witnesses to such actions will vividly (or hazily) remember the previous night’s activities. The difference is here; come Monday, Americans will discuss those events repeatedly, preferably in the presence of the actor so as to cause dire embarrassment to the person, to rub it in. In Japan though, what happens at the enkai stays at the enkai. It’s not like people don’t remember, it’s just that people ignore it.

Some of you may be thinking that there may be a lack of actual rowdiness at Japanese office parties. In that respect, you would be wrong, my good sir. Take my New Year enkai for my town government office for example. Enter John Doe, fellow public servant on the first floor and apartment neighbor on the third floor. With all the politeness and professionalism that one may come to expect in Japan, John Doe took my census information from me. This was done outside of his typical work hours, I doubt he got overtime pay for it, he's a dedicated employee I'm sure. At the enkai he was, well let’s say, a bit inebriated. He seemed to be doing a lot of rolling on the floor that night, sometimes rolling into tables and the occassional person. Once or twice he did a roll in tandem, don’t even really know how that worked, but I was impressed. Through the course of the evening he managed to rearrange his pants in a very 90s, Criss-cross (or is it Kriss Kross?) fashion. He jumped on one of the boss once or twice, and I swear the facial expressions in those instances were priceless. I can recall three distinct occasions when I almost saw, well, um, too much of anybody I wasn’t dating or, if I was a doctor, examining for health reasons. Come Monday though, it’s business as usual. The next week, I see John Doe rushing in as I’m leaving the parking lot and all I get is a business nod.

He’d be good at poker.