Drinking Communication 飲みニケーション (Nomi ni cation)
Business culture in Japan has been one of those things that I have been fascinated with because it is very different from America. On a regular night going home on the JR I so happened to see this businessman passed out in the train. I’ve seen drunken people passed out in the seats, but not the floor. My friends then explained to me why that person was passed out. 飲みニケーション (nomi ni cation) was what he told me. It uses the 飲むkanji which means to drink and ニケーション is part of the katana version of communication. In a majority of the companies in Japan, the superiors treat out their subordinates as a way to build strong bonds. My friends tell me that after work is done their supervisors invite them out to drink and to refuse is sort of disrespectful. They drink to communicate in an atmosphere that is more relaxed than the office thus 飲みニケーション (nomi ni cation). If you are in Tokyo or some other city around the time work is done, then don’t be surprised to see bars and restaurants packed with company people because most likely it is their communication time.