Author of "Mistress-Keeping in Japan — Then & Now" (Boyé Lafayette De Mente) Explains How to Party With the "Natives"

How partying in Japan differs, and how both business people and vacationers can get the most out of this institutionalized and ritualized form of bonding.

Tokyo, Japan (PRWEB) January 29, 2006 -- Until the last couple of decades the Japanese had the reputation of being workaholics not given to letting their hair down and having a good time. The Japanese were indeed hard workers, but the impression that they didn’t go in for parties and other forms of entertainment was way off the mark, says author Boyé Lafayette De Mente in his book "Mistress-Keeping in Japan."
    
De Mente debunks the idea that historically the Japanese were not into “good time” activities, especially the sensual kind. He notes that one of the earliest anecdotes in Japan’s creation myth is about a party held by one of the gods that became so boisterous he was kicked out of the pantheon as punishment.
    
But this particular god didn’t give up partying, and apparently passed on his predilections for a good time to the human progeny of the gods. In any event, De Mente goes on, entertainment of various kinds has been a significant part of Japanese culture since ancient times—with mistress-keeping by members of the upper class being high on the list.
    
As in virtually all societies, singing, dancing and drinking were major entertainment activities in early Japan, with copious references to them in historical records. And rather than decrease with the passing of time entertainment of has grown in volume and variety to the point that since the mid-1950s it has been one of Japan’s largest industries.
    
De Mente says that one of the most characteristic Japanese forms of entertainment today is subsumed in the word enkai (inn-kigh), which is usually translated as “Japanese style banquet” and is a kind of generic term that refers to a gathering where food and drinks are served, and which serves several purposes.
    
The first enkai of record occurred in the 7th century at the imperial court on New Year’s Day and on other auspicious occasions during the year. In 1873 the celebration was renamed Shinnen Enkai (sheen-nane inn-kigh), or New Year’s Banquet, and was held on January 5th.
    
This was discontinued as an Imperial Court event after World War II, and was later picked up by the general public as a way of celebrating special occasions any time of the year, including New Years and near the end of the year, when it was called Bonen Kai (boh-nane kigh), or “Party to Forget the Year” just ending.
    
Hundreds of thousands of Bonen Kai and Shinnen Kai parties and are still held every year, but even more enkai are held during the year to celebrate promotions, company events, farewell parties, assignments abroad, political rallies, family gatherings, welcoming parties (for new company or club members), etc.
    
In earlier times the locations for enkai were almost always restaurants or halls that had Japanese style rooms with reed-mat (tatami) floors, but now many, especially large ones, are also held in hotel banquet halls that are Western style, with tables and chairs.
    
The importance of the enkai to Japanese can hardly be overstated. They are one of the primary ways the Japanese bond with each other in both formal and informal ways during the proceedings, which generally include a number of short speeches, a great deal of toasting and hand-clapping, and often singing and dancing performances by individuals or groups.
    
For the Japanese the enkai are an institutionalized and ritualized way for them to express and nurture their Japaneseness, to shore up their psyche and energy, and strengthen their bonds with each other and their guests.
    
De Mente adds that foreign business people can get a lot of cultural mileage out of sponsoring enkai for their Japanese affiliations, as well as by attending (when invited) those staged by the Japanese side.
    
Dinners (and sometimes lunches) arranged for large tourist groups in resort hotels and inns are typically done enkai style, with the participants wearing thin yukata robes, sitting on tatami reed-mat floors at low tables, and being called upon to participate in some kind of entertainment.
    
De Mente says that visitors in Japan, for business or pleasure, should make an effort to attend at least one enkai, adding: “They are a marvelous way to physically, emotionally and spiritually experience the traditional culture.”
    
"Mistress-Keeping in Japan" and some 30 other books on Japan by the author are available from Amazon.com. A list of his books may also be seen on his personal website: phoenixbookspublishers.com

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