So I've mentioned going to a lot of work parties, but not really described what they're like up until now. Like most things here they're very ritualized and all have the same basic format. First, the time and place are decided well in advance and RSVPs are collected. Along with the attendance, they also record who's going to be drinking and how each person is getting home, assumably to make sure no one drinks and drives. The cost is about $30-$50, which might be collected ahead of time or at the door. Any money that's left over will just roll over for the next party, so usually there's no refund of any overpayment afterwards.
The day of everyone turns up between five to ten minutes early. Usually seats are assigned, but occasionally they're randomized or free seating. If the seating's assigned there will be some component of seniority to it. The senior staff (principal, vice-principal, etc.) will all be together at one table, the support staff will be together at another, etc. People important to the occasion of the party will be at the senior table too, like new or departing staff at welcome or goodbye parties, or the third year teachers in the case of graduation. The tables are usually square, two people to a side, but occasionally round or long. At a party with just a couple long tables the seniority seating is more apparent with the senior people nearest the principal and the juniors furthest. That's also why they sometimes randomize it, to remove the seniority aspect and make it more informal. Depending on the venue seating might be chairs, or zabuton. Some of the food that doesn't need to be kept warm will already be on the table. There might be a dish with some bits of food in front of each person, but most of the food will be in communal dishes in the middle of the table on a big Lazy Susan. If it's the kind of food that's in individualized pieces (like sushi) rather than a mass (like salad), then usually there will be exactly one piece for each person.
The party starts right on time and the whoever's the MC says a little something about the occasion before calling on anyone else who's going to give a few words (usually just the principal, but sometimes one or two others, like a PTA head, etc.). At the end of the little speeches they break out the drinks. There's usually one or two types of bottled beer (Asahi and maybe Kirin) which comes in 40s, some kind of non-alcoholic beer, bottled oolong tea, and if Coke or something isn't already out the staff can grab it on request. Everyone stands and pours each others' drinks and when everyone's set the last speaker (usually the principal) leads the toast. Everyone clinks glasses, drinks, sets down their glass, and applauds, then sits down to start eating.
As people's glasses deplete other people refill them. Traditionally you're not supposed to fill your own glass, but later in the party if you're being neglected you can get away with it. The glasses are relatively small, but at this point the beer drinkers can go to the tap and get a big glass of draft (or rather, someone else will offer to get one for them). Maybe as early as now, but usually a bit later, a couple of people, usually older guys, might call for sake, which can be served either warm or cold. By the way, it's mainly the women who are doing most of the pouring of the initial drinks or fetching new bottles, because that's the kind of society this is. Although there's also a big component of seniority to it, and the women tend to be more junior. By the way, the seniority goes like this: Principal, vice-principal, office manager, a couple other senior staff, regular teachers (at the bottom of which is me), and support staff, like the classroom assistants, nurse, librarian, office staff, and maintenance guy. Within the teachers they're divided into the three grade levels whose homerooms they lead, and each grade level has a head, and maybe a sub-head. So among those groups if it's necessary to order them the third-year group has the highest precedence and the first-year group (which I'm in) the lowest. These groups are shuffled every year though.
So back to the party, everyone's eating and drinking and talking at this point, and periodically the staff brings out more food. After maybe an hour any events start. For the welcome and goodbye parties this would be speeches by the new or departing staff, and at the welcome party, introductions by the current staff. At the graduation parties there might be a few more speeches by PTA members, or the homeroom teachers of the graduating classes. At the elementary graduation party they showed a presentation of the graduating students; at the middle school one there was a quiz game about the school. At the year-end party back in December there were a bunch of games and gift exchanges. After this is done (or depending on what's being done, while it's still going on) there will be more socializing, but by now most of the eating is done, so people will make the rounds of the tables and talk to everyone else. This will go on for another hour or so until the MC calls it, often at a predetermined time (and always before the last train). At this time there will sometimes be a closing ritual involving some synchronized claps or shouting of "banzai". And then everyone goes home. The whole thing is around three hours.
It might depend on the group and other circumstances, but occasionally there will be one or more afterparties. It might be just one less formal party at a different venue and they collect a fee from everyone like for the first party (like at the elementary school graduation afterparty), or it might be different little groups going wherever doing whatever they want (a bar, karaoke, etc.). I haven't heard of any such after-party events after any of our parties, but everyone here is overworked enough that they're probably just not up for such things.
This is just a description of the school parties, but any other semi-formal party is similar. We finally got around to having my welcome party for the English conversation club, and the basic structure was the same, although it was more laid back.
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