Nagoya Office Christmas Party!!

Tonight was my office Christmas party! I felt like it could have been something out of "The Office"! It was so wacky and not very Christmas-y!!

It was on the 5th floor in the main reception area where I ate lunch a few days ago. The cost was 1000 yen (~$11) per person. The Nagoya office has about 400 staff members, and I would estimate that at least 200 of them stuck around after work for this shindig. It went from 5:30 - 9pm.

First, everyone came in and ate dinner while standing around and grabbing food with their chopsticks from giant platters. It was relatively normal food: chicken, rice balls, veggies, fruit, wontons, etc. They also served beer, wine, and other beverages. I didn't have much of a chance to eat because I was such a popular girl. So many people I've never met before wanted to come and talk to me. Some of them told me they saw me in the elevator. Some of them told me they saw me shopping in the "underground" or getting off of a subway. Apparently it's like "Where's Kerri?" all over Nagoya!

Next was the "parlor tricks" or entertainment. Here's a cute pic of the emcees for the evening. They are wearing headbands with a mini hat and antlers. Also, everyone on the party planning committee wears these blue Mitsui jackets so they are easy to spot! The girl, Yurio, is my friend, and the boy I just met tonight but we were such buds he had to get a pic of the 2 of us with his camera phone!

This was pre-entertainment. The singer is a Mitsui employee, and she really jammed out all night long by singing like 6 songs. I suppose it's no surprise how into it she was considering it's like karaoke with a large audience!! The jazz band was hired for the event. There was also a piano that I cut out the this pic on the left.

Ready for the "parlor tricks"! Mari (from my dept.), Kerri, Hiroki, and another friend. I read in a guide book that the Japanese like to give the peace sign in pictures because it means they are happy. (Sometimes the Japanese smile for other reasons besides happiness.) If that is true, Hiroki is REALLY excited to be in this picture with me!!

Here's the first act: 6 team members played 2 Christmas carols with hand bells. Many of them had to keep switching bells and even hands which the bells were in, but I noticed that Santa only had 2 bells. He must have been "slow Santa". That would have been me! These 6 people are new employees. They were all hired within the past year.

The second act was two trainee employees doing a comedy sketch. I didn't really understand it, but people around me that it was a silly Japanese thing. I could tell everyone thought it was a little goofy. They will be promoted to "real" employees in February.

Third act was a guy playing a jazz piano song. No picture needed really. Pianos look the same in all countries.

Finally it's voting time! You put your ticket stub in the slot that was your favorite act. My friend, Hariyama, runs one of the voting boxes. I went for #1 (hand bells), and they were the big winners!! (For all of you TFers, yes, that's Yosuke Kawakami sneaking by in the background.)

While they were tallying votes, there were a few more acts just for fun. This was some kind of sumo parody, and they kept chanting "Compliance" in English. At one point, a rips off his shirt to reveal a giant Mitsui tattoo (fake, of course) on his arm!!

I didn't really catch what was going on at this point because my general manager wanted me to meet the only other non-Asian who works in our building. His name is Oscar and he's from Mexico. He went to college in the USA and is fluent in English and Japanese. (It's a small world--his brother works at the Bosch plant in Toluca!)

While I was chatting, there was also a Brazilian samba dance with 6 ladies in kimonos I was unable to get a picture of. I did track down one of my lunch buddies to get a picture with her later. Also, Mari & Ema from my dept. (P.S. I have no idea why I look so possessed in this pic!)

Cake time! They found me a traditional hazelnut piece with a Merry Christmas marker in it!! Yummy!!

All night I was the hit of the party! People kept coming up and talking to me that I've never met, or others I did know wanted to introduce me to their "really good friends". Many people got their picture taken with me!! When people start getting drunk, it gets really loud, their English skills go downhill really quickly, and the whole thing is a riot! Men are talking with their hands, spilling beer or accidentally flinging their cups everywhere. One guy in my department kept telling everyone I looked like "Ariel" from Disney's The Little Mermaid!! He went on to brag that I worked at a company with 1,000 people, and I managed 8 of them. I have no idea where he came up with these numbers, but everyone was impressed. They said I must be very important!!

Finally, there was a quiz on a projector with goofy questions like "Which baby picture is the Mitsui president?", "What is this security guard's name?", etc. It was an immediate elimination quiz. You ran to the number you thought was right, and if you were wrong, you had to sit out. Basically, the party lasted for two hours too long by US standards. Americans would have not played this chaotic and bizarre game.

In the end, everyone surrenders their ticket, draws a number, and gets a gift. This is where Santa would have been appropriate!! Here are 2 more lunch buddies (the girls who think I don't like vegetables) and our prizes. I'm wearing my sweet new jacket that everyone was jealous of. I tried to give it to a few people, but they wouldn't take it. The other girls got a bottle of sake (liquor) and a box of plastic wrap!! I also saw a Dragons baseball calendar and a coupon for a free beer at a local pub. There was a huge variety. Mine was one of a kind and ultra popular, though!!

I sit next to this guy. His name is Daijiro Shiraishi, but he tells me to call him "Jazzy Dani" since he's seen my personal email address!! He loves my jacket so much I get a high 5. He hasn't picked up his gift yet, but as you can see he is enjoying his bottle wine all by himself, so he's in no rush!!

All in all a wacky night, but a lot of fun. One random guy told me this was the worse Nagoya Christmas party he's been to in 5 years!! He said there was no planning and the whole thing was crap! LOL.

P.S. for Shaw--> I hope this blog entry lives up to your wildest expectations ;)