Question
I’m starting a six-month posting at my company’s Tokyo office next month and I keep hearing about “nomikai” — after-work drinks with the team. A colleague told me they’re a big part of Japanese work culture, but I’m not sure if I’m expected to go to every one. What should I know about Japanese work culture?
Answer by Professional Japanese Teacher
飲（の）み会（かい）
Nomikai
After-work drinks gathering
Welcome in advance. Your colleague is right that nomikai matter, but the rule isn’t what most foreign hires expect. At most Tokyo companies today, nomikai is treated as optional. Skipping is generally fine, and “I have plans tonight” is a perfectly normal answer.
That said, going to the first one or two is genuinely worth it. A lot of what shapes the office — who trusts whom, which manager actually drives a project — becomes visible over a beer in a way it rarely does in a meeting room. One of my students, a French engineer posted to a Tokyo software firm, told me he understood his team better after one nomikai than after three months of stand-ups. Go when you can, decline politely when you can’t.
