The holiday season may bring with it a sense of joy for many. But for those not looking forward to spending time with certain family members, it also carries a sense of impending anxiety. Additionally, for Japanese people, there’s another kind of dread waiting around the corner this month: 忘年会 (bōnenkai), or year-end work parties.
Year-end work parties (literally “forget the year parties”) are December get-togethers of anywhere from two to two-hundred employees. Together at a restaurant or other reserved location, they eat, drink and blow off steam to welcome in the new year with a fresh slate.
It sounds like fun, right? Unfortunately not, as more and more Japanese people are choosing to “pass” on the parties.
Forget the “Forget the Year” Parties
Recently the hashtag #忘年会スルー (#PassingOnEndOfYearParties) has been gaining traction on Japanese Twitter. It even made it onto the news, showing the range of mostly negative opinions:
Some of the tweets read: “I passed on the year-end work party. I don’t want my precious time stolen by coworkers.” “I’d rather spend time having fun with people I like.” “I worked so late that I didn’t have to go.”
The poll in the upper right-hand corner image shows that 36.3% of people believe that the right number of end of year parties to have is “zero,” with 52% saying that “one” is fine. Often, people who work multiple jobs or are part of several organizations can feel compelled to attend more than one, compounding the issue.
The woman states, “It’s a big hurdle to spend 4,000 to 5,000 yen just to listen to my bosses ramble.”
And therein lies one of the big problems with year-end work parties: cost.
Year-End Work Parties: The Privilege of Paying to Work?
Year-end work parties are not cheap, nor are they usually covered by workplaces. They’re supposed to be an all-out affair, more than a little after-work nomikai (“drinking party”). Costs can run up to 10,000 yen ($92) or more per person. And since parties are outside of work hours, they can easily become less of a fun event and more like unpaid overtime. Or, worse, overtime that you have to pay for.
All this means that more people are choosing to “pass” on the parties, especially younger employees. (Japan’s young are also drinking less alcohol in general, which could also be a contributing factor.) Employees who do so risk not being seen as social or part of the team. But many don’t seem to care. Here’s a sampling of some posts online:
End of year parties are a waste of time and money. They’re fine for people who like drinking parties, but there’s a lot of people who can’t drink or don’t want to listen to their bosses ramble. I think it’s bizarre that not going is seen as antisocial or not common sense.
This one is replying to a tweet about attending drinking parties being as “investment in yourself.” (Note: Tweet since deleted)
“The courage to say no to end of the year parties! The courage to say no to the ones you don’t want to go to. They’re a burden on your body and soul. The only worthwhile ones are the ones you want to go to. So just go to those, and end the year well. That’s what year-end work parties are all about.”
(Linguistic note: “The courage to say no to end of the year parties!” is a play on the title of a popular Adlerian self-help book in Japan, The Courage to be Hated [嫌われる勇気].)
Even the popular Japanese messaging service Line got in on the action:
It’s that time of year…. Use these as needed…. #FourWaysToGetOutOfParties
1. Sorry, I’m planning on getting sick that day so I can’t go.
2. Sorry, the new issue of my magazine is coming out that day. I have to go home early.
3. Sorry, but I’ve been magically cursed to get sick whenever I’m out with six or more people.
4. You don’t grow if you forget painful experiences, and I don’t want to forget what’s happened to me this year. So, with that said, I will not be attending the ‘forget the year’ party.
The Other Side of the One-Yen Coin
Of course, it’s not all doom and gloom for end-of-year parties. Just a quick search online shows plenty of others showing off good times and good food with their coworkers.
End of year party with the team. Been through a lot with everyone this year… super thankful for them.
Another positive experience:
Went to eat fugu (pufferfish) with six coworkers! A little early for an end of the year party, but it was fun.
Like other controversial “traditions” in Japan, the tradition of the end-of-the-year party feels like it’s undergoing a transition. Even though they’re likely not disappearing anytime in the near future, hopefully, the stigma surrounding not attending them will.
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