End-of-Year ENKAI

The whole celebration and special events marking the end of the school year are as much for the 3rd grade homeroom teachers as for the graduating students. On the graduation day teacher`s morning meeting these teachers stood up and everybody else applauded them very warmly. It`s a big achievement GETTING YOUR STUDENTS TO THE FINISHING LINE! here in Japanese schools. During the ceremony they stood up and were applauded again by all.

The end of year enkai that evening was a party basically in honour of those third grade teachers. We sat down (knelt on floor of course!) to the meal – the third grade teachers were all seated on one side of the room. Within 5 minutes of starting eating following the kampai most of the second and first grade teachers had jumped up, and moved around to near to third grade teachers, crouching behind them, to serve them drinks, to ensure their galss was never less than half full, to chat to them, to congratulate them profusely.

Given that I`ve been in Japan a long time now (over 6 months) I feel quite used to the Japanese way of eating and drinking when out. You should always serve others drinks, watch for their glass never becoming empty, and the food is not eaten like a western meal. In a Japanese drinking party enkai setting – the drinking goes on for the whole evening (same as England) – but unlike England the eating goes on for the whole evening too. Japanese food is very bitty – lots of different small, beautifully presented dishes are brought out by the waitresses through the course of the evening (same for everyone). When the food is in front of you it is not the style to eat it all at once just because it is there. The food will be eaten slowly throughout the 3 hour period, because Japanese people like to eat while they drink. So, it was not so surprising for me to see several delicious dishes being served – and most of the teachers eating a little, and then jumping up to talk to others sitting a little way from them or seeing how they could serve the 3rd grade teachers for 20 minutes or so. I think it takes a while for westerners to get used to this style of eating where food in front of us is usually eaten straight-away. When I think of the whole evening from an English perspective it is very very different.

One of my home friends emailed me to say my drunken enkai sounded much like a meal he went to for the leaving of one of the teachers at the school he works at. I can imagine going out for a meal in England. But this was so far removed from that. Essentially, it is the extreme formality and hierarchy so present in the enkai setting, combined with the extreme, rapid drunkenness that occurs.

Aside from the obvious differences of it being a Japanese establishment therefore – take off shoes – slippers on – own tatami room – karaoke machine in room – low down tables – kneeling required etc, the differences is in the behavior. People were marked in to check they were all there. The enkai was moved to start at 5 o`clock because everyone had school the next day, but to allow for the fact people had to get drunk at an enkai (as that is what is done) and to allow for the second enkai (the after-party) it was decided that 6 would be too late for all this to happen so it was moved.

The speeches – so many speeches by everyone. Several at the start – by the principal, the vice principal, the heard of the 3rd grade as I expected. But then, in the middle of the enkai later on each homeroom teacher stood up and gave their own little speech and then another by the head of the 3rd grade and principal and vice. It just showed me how important their students are too them. One teacher talked about the girl in her class who had been suffering from anorexia. Another teacher read out an emotional letter she had received from a student that day. Teachers love to talk about students who have had difficulties in the past who have overcome them now – through the hard work and care collectively from the parents, teachers and he student working together to overcome the problem as the child grows up in the school. That`s what gives them so much pride and involvement I think.

Another difference which I almost take as normal these days is the hierarchical nature of many aspects of Japanese society. At the enkai it was a little bit more obvious than usual. All the teachers sat on 2 lines of group tables at the sides of the room. However, the principal, vice, head of the third grade and the older women who works in the office had their own individual tables at the head of the room. At the end of the meal when vast plates of soba noodles were brought in to share for the ordinary teachers on the group tables these 4 important people were given their own plates of soba. Just to make it obvious that they were more important. Although, seniority might be obvious in an English workplace by the head having a nice big office, with a nice view, I certainly doubt that such a separation would occur in a work drinks/ meal. But in Japan, I couldn`t really imagine it any other way. I would feel awkward with the principal next to me certainly (but perhaps that`s because I`m young).

The enkai ended with everyone in a circle hugging, drunkenly singing the school song – many men red faced from the alcohol, one male teacher crying from the emotion and alcohol. One teacher in the centre conducting us all. Everyone was in high spirits. And typical to Japanese form and order at the end the enkai ended. Exactly as specified - at 8 o`clock, exactly 3 hours after it had started. So names were taken of who was attending the second enkai at the karaoke bar and everyone else went off on their way.