May 26, 2008

Tokyo (JAPAN)

Immediately following World War II, Japan was a defeated country - in economic, political, and even social terms. Most westerners overlook the fact that Japan first occupied Manchuria in 1931, meaning that they were "at war" for twice as long as Germany. As such, this island-nation was in "war-mode" for such a long time that the generation behind the bubble-economy of the 1960s and 1970s grew up knowing what hunger pains feel like. But all of that was soon to change...

With the help of the United States, who were intent to fend of the threat of the Soviet Union, Japan built the world's second largest economy over the next 40 years. I mention the United States not to direct credit in their direction, but rather to emphasize that they "stopped the rot" so Japan could begin building from scratch (which is essentially what was needed). In truth, it was the widely-heralded Japanese work ethic, entrepreneurial ambition, and a high level of education that was behind the 10% annual GDP growth over a 40 year period. The original "Asian Tiger" was made up of exactly that - a generation of hungry, Japanese economic tigers whose lives were devoted to economic endeavor. Without going into too much detail, life revolved around the workplace, and a tremendous amount of stress naturally went along with the newfound success.

Looking back, it is not surprising that an influx of spare cash, a history of want, and a life that revolves around business led to a culture of excess. The only uncertainty was how that excess would manifest itself, and the answer came in the form of business drinking parties, or NOMIKAI (飲み会). A NOMIKAI is the standard means by which people get together, and it is typically done at a kind of Japanese drinking establishment called an IZAKAYA (居酒屋). What makes Japan unique is that businesses encourage, and even arrange for their employees to engage in such an activity - often on weekday nights. Further, it is socially unacceptable if someone does not get drunk because it makes them appear as though they do not wish to open up with everyone: a good night of drinking may lead to vomiting or passing out, but this is still better than going home sober.

To better understand why drinking became (and remains) the outlet for Japan's workaholics, it is important to understand a few important ideas. Firstly, Japanese culture is very much inward-looking; a famous axiom is that "the nail that sticks out gets hammered." Such a culture naturally breeds a shy mentality (shy carries a slightly misleading connotation, but I cannot think of a better English word) whereby people do not easily come out of their shell. Obviously, alcohol has the power to change that. Secondly, for nearly all Japanese businessmen (and certainly the successful ones), life revolves around the office. Even today, men often spend more time with their co-workers than they do with their own families. At the same time, these SALARYMEN often know very little about their co-workers. Again, alcohol has the power to change that by "loosening the tongue."  Lastly, Japanese culture, much like most of Asian culture, places tremendous importance on relationships and trusting those with whom you do business. While a Western country like the United States or Germany prefers to develop such relationships through sports or family outings, the culture is different in Japan (and indeed most of Asia) - the family is a private entity that is kept separate from work while sports are an imported concept. The only real "activity" that existed was karaoke, which is why it is so popular in Asian countries. However, karaoke is no more than a means of supplementing the act of drinking.

In modern Japan, drinking habits are slowly changing. No longer can companies afford to pay for costly nights out that yield less-than-tangible benefits. However, drinking is still the primary means by which Japanese workers interact. On any night of the week late night trains in Tokyo will have red-faced men in business suits on their way home after a 10-12 hour workday followed by a night of drinking with colleagues. Unlike most other countries, drunk Japanese (generally) do not disturb the peace or make a nuisance of themselves. Drunken aggression or drunk-driving, while they probably exist, are an exception to the norm: the worst that will happen is vomiting at the station or passing out in a park. Thus, drinking does not carry any of the negative societal stigmas found in other countries.

The real danger lies in alcohol's detrimental effects on health, both physically and mentally. Internal bodily organs take a severe beating when forced to deal with copious amounts of alcohol, and heavy workloads leave little time for engaging in athletic activities. When further coupled with greasy foods and smoking cigarettes, it is easy for an otherwise healthy person to quickly lose control. The same holds true with one's mental well-being: working in Japan is stressful enough without adding sleep-deprivation into the equation. For these reasons, the culture of drinking is slowly evolving into one that is less-engulfing than what existed 20 years ago.

Next time you are in Japan (for business or otherwise), and someone proposes getting together for drinks, 今度一緒に飲みましょうか, recognize that it is not only an integral part of the culture - one where you will likely become closer than would otherwise be possible - but it is also a lot of fun. Trust me.