Hi this is Kazuhiro.
We have a little more than two weeks left in the year 2022. At the end of last week, I enjoyed a Bonen-kai with my old friends.
A Bonen-kai is a party held at the end of the year, and is a cultural event not only in Japan but also in East Asia. However, the expression and purpose differ slightly between Japan and the rest of the country.
The Japanese word for Bonen-kai is "忘年会". And the each character has the following meaning.
忘 : Forget
年 : Year
会 : Party (a gathering of people for an event)
In other words, it means "to forget the unpleasant and painful things of the past year and welcome the new year with a fresh spirit". It also means "to thank each other for the year's efforts" or, in the workplace, "to express gratitude for the day-to-day business and activities".
At my Bonen-kai this time, I had a lot of drinks and Japanese dishes such as sushi, tempura, and nabe (hot pot) with my old friends, and we were able to appreciate each other's hard work and make a fresh start for the next year.
How about having a Bonen-kai to look back on the past year?
