The end-of-year holiday party is a tradition in the United States. Calling it a beloved tradition would be a stretch — there’s a vast cultural catalog of TV shows, movies, books, and stories skewering the weird dynamics of a work holiday party. If you ask HR companies, there’s a strong chance you’ll hear something along the lines of holiday parties with free-flowing alcohol are a huge risk. Throw in the awkwardness of a party after companies have downsized ahead of the new year, and it would be hard to blame workers who suddenly can’t go because of a “surprise” last-minute obligation they can’t get out of.
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Tired of the Office Holiday Party? Try Japan's 'Forget-the-Year' Party Instead.
End-of-year parties aren’t specific to the US, of course. And there’s an argument to be made that the theme in other cultures may (depending on your disposition and feelings about spending even more time with the people you work with) be more appealing. Take, for example, the Japanese tradition of bōnenkai.
Bōnenkai roughly translates to “forget the year party.” There are some similarities to holiday parties in the US — informal food, bottomless drinks, casual (perhaps too casual) conversations with work superiors, reluctance to attend by some. Attire differs, however, as workers typically wear the same thing they wear to the office, ties and all. The filter of Western religious holidays that often cover the parties in the US in some way big or small are absent. Bōnenkai also aren’t just limited to one company party, as various work departments and community groups will also hold the events in smaller groups.
The biggest difference is that bōnenkai don’t shy away from the beverages, particularly beer and sake. In fact, with “forgetting” being a major component, the drinks often take a central place.
“The first character is bo, to forget,” Kisa, who works with Sapporo, said during a demonstration bōnenkai done over video call with members of the Sapporo teams in Japan and California. “You have such a great time that you forget all the troubles of the year and look forward to the new year. Today, you see a lot of drinking on the street and letting of all the things people experienced at the end of the year.”
For the year of the snake in 2025, Sapporo tapped tattoo artist Tokyo Hiro for the design. The open- and closed-mouth snakes symbolize the year ending and the beginning of another, and peonies represent good luck. Photo: Sapporo
These large company parties are typically held in izakaya, which are casual Japanese bars that also serve snacks like skewered meat and fried bites. Someone high up in the company gives an opening speech with drink in hand. The year past is discussed before a raised glass and kanpai (cheers). Only then can the eating and drinking commence — and lots of it. Japanese tradition holds that empty glasses should be filled by others (particularly by those lower down the totem pole and always poured with two hands, called oshaku), so empty glasses are a bit of a rarity.
There’s some time to fill up and get a buzz before the entertainment: karaoke is popular, as are little staged shows that poke fun at a cultural moment from the past year. More drinks and food follow. It all ends with sanbon-jime — a rhythmic clap done in unison and led by someone higher up (Hiro Kitaoka, chairman of the Sapporo-owned Stone Brewing led ours on the video bōnenkai): three successive claps and then one closing clap, repeated for a total of three times. One last hurrah and the bōnenkai is done (except for those who want to continue the drinking at the nijikai, or after party).
It all sounds like a modern occasion, but bōnenkai has a centuries-old history. The precursor in the 15th century were nōkai (“great achievement gathering”). They transitioned to bōnenkai in the 18th century. By the Meiji period in the late 1800s, the tradition was solidified across classes.
Coincidentally, this was also about the same time that Japan’s oldest brewery was founded. Seibei Nakagawa illegally left his home country and fell in love with beer in Europe, learning the trade in Germany and becoming a certified brewmaster. When Japan’s isolationist laws ended and the country’s leaders wanted an internationally-minded brewery, Nakagawa came back and founded Sapporo in 1876. Beer may not have been the widespread drink of choice in those early bōnenkai years, but it surely is the most reached for beverage now. Japan is the 10th most beer-consuming country in the world.
Big or small, bōnenkai is a loose and free flowing end-of-year party for those tired of the well-worn US holiday party. Sometimes we can all use a little forgetting to get refreshed and ready for what’s to come in the year ahead. 