How to Get Invited to a Nomikai…

15 comments

1. If you have a liason teacher let them know you’d like to be invited.

   Do you know if they’re actually having nomikai? We’re still not having any at my work.

2. If you’ve been there for two years you should have built a relationship with the teachers. If you have then you will probably get invited. Or maybe take the initiative and ask the teachers if they want to have a nomikai? 😊

3. Nomikai have gone the way of the dodo since Covid and people confessed to hating them.

4. Spent years trying to figure out how to get uninvited then COVID happened and everyone dropped the illusion. Now when someone brings it up the answer is a firm no from everyone involved. Nobody likes drinking with co-workers and bosses and now they have a safe excuse to dump the whole dumb idea.

5. If they’re actually have them, normally you would be invited as a matter of course. The invitations are placed on all the teacher’s desk with the date, location and cost printed on them, with a option “attending” or “not attending” that is to be given to the teacher in charge. If you’re not seeing these, they’re probably not doing them.

6. Not the best idea. Most who do it don’t know how to hold their liquor/limit themselves and you either get sick drunks or belligerent drunks (hated bartending nomikais)

7. Being friendly and casually mentioning how much you like drinking probably won’t hurt. Even if there aren’t any official organized nomikais going on, there are some teachers who do go drinking with each other. I have been invited to a couple unofficial nomikais even before Covid stopped being a thing.

8. In my experience, since ALTs aren’t a member of the full-time staff, they tend only to be remembered for the annual, school-sponsored events in December/January and April/May, paid for by the fund that comes out of a monthly deduction from teacher’s salaries (which continued even during the last few years, when there were no such events…).

   Depending on the size of the school, all teachers or those for a certain class year(s) (or even academic department at a junior high or high school) might have their own events more frequently, but you’d have to make it clear you want to be invited, and don’t mind paying the (typically ~5,000 yen) fee for it. Also don’t expect much English unless *everyone* there speaks it.

9. Organize your own nomikai. Ask some people if they wanna go drinking:

   If you find at least 1 -> nomikai

10. Why don’t you invite them?

11. Only one at my school planned for July. Someone went round with a list and if you wanted to go, you ticked it. I would just wait for this if I were you

12. They probably arent doing them anymore. Pretty common trend since the end of covid. I wouldnt worry about it, they are usually awkward, and often end up with someone getting sexually harrassed or bullied.

13. I’ve been in Japan 9 months and had a fair few Nomikais with two of my schools already. I think it depends on the teachers/staff there.
    They are fun and it’s a good way to connect with everyone I think. Plus you can show off your karaoke skills.

14. I am African and in my second year as an ALT. I have so far had four nomikais with teachers at my school. Three were before covid was downgraded together with particular grade teachers. The most recent one was quite official. It was after the sports day. They had one just last evening after the lesson observations. I had to turn this one down because teaching with a nasty hangover sucks. They are already recruiting imbibers for the next official one on July 21st…… I would say there are definitely nomikais happening in your school. Perhaps you work on your relationship with the staff in the school as most have suggested. Both teaching staff and non-teaching staff. If they like you as the ALT, and as a person, you will get those invites.

15. just ask, when’s the next nomikai? as for how good does your Japanese have to be… how long’s a piece of string?