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A nomikai ((日本語:飲み会)) is a drinking party phenomenon particular to Japanese culture. ''Nomikai'' are a part of the culture of most places of employment, from schools to nightclubs. They are most often held in restaurants or ''izakaya'', usually with everyone seated at one large table or occupying a separated section of the venue. Employees are usually expected to participate to some extent in various ''nomikai'', as it is considered a social aspect of work, although it is not expressly required. Such parties focus on the bond between coworkers as a group, and are not considered private or somehow non-work related (see Japanese values). Attendance does not necessarily imply that a person will drink any alcohol, however, and attendees generally pay a set amount for the food, drink, and venue regardless of consumption. Any leftover money may be put toward organizing the next ''nomikai''. The student version of the ''nomikai'' is called a ''konpa'' and contains some distinguishing characteristics. ==Procedure== ''Nomikai'' are held to mark a wide range of events, including completion of major projects, attainment of set goals, foundation anniversaries, school sporting events, entry of new coworkers, and retirement of senior employees. There is always at least one organizer (Japanese: 幹事, ''kanji'') responsible for the preparation of the venue. This is usually not the same person or persons for whom the ''nomikai'' takes place. With the exception of the end of year ''bōnenkai'' (Japanese: 忘年会; forget the year party), most nomikai consist of workers in one section or department of the workplace. In the case of the ''bōnenkai'', everyone in the entire company may be present. In large companies, however, separate ''bōnenkai''s are often the norm for each department. Additionally, there may be both kinds of ''bōnenkai'' on separate dates. For example, there may be a math department ''bōnenkai'' on one day, with a school-wide ''bōnenkai'' for all teachers the following week. At onset of the ''nomikai'', the organizers give a brief welcome speech, followed by the manager, president, or principal, who offers words of reflection and encouragement. The monologue is punctuated by a toast after which everyone begins eating and drinking. If there are new employees or guests at the ''nomikai'', it is customary for them also to give a self-introduction and salutation to the other members. ''Nomikai'' are nearly always concluded after a few hours by everyone standing, clapping in unison. There are two main styles of clapping: ''ippon-jime'' and ''sanbon-jime''. These translate roughly to "one-clap ending" and "three-clap ending", respectively. A three-clap ending is actually three series of three claps, followed by a single clap. Often this is repeated three times, leaving the total number of claps at thirty. Sometimes the ''shime'' (ending) may happen in conjunction with a verbose salute to the organizer or honored participant, or the singing of the company or school song. The ''nijikai'' (Japanese: 二次会) is the afterparty. After the main nomikai is concluded, the attendees often break into smaller groups and move to different bars. As attendance is not at all mandatory for nijikai, they usually are groups of friends or people interested in doing a lot of drinking, including bar-hopping. Drinking that comes after a ''nijikai'' is referred to as ''sanjikai'' (三次会). 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「nomikai」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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