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It is a very common thing in Japan to be invited to go out for dinner and drinks with the people you work with. In most cases, if you work with nice people, this is a very pleasant experience, something to look forward to. In almost every case, though, this means ordering as a group, with a number of dishes being shared among the participants. This, too, is often a lot of fun, as it was during our department’s recent New Year’s party this evening. 



The food was absolutely fantastic, probably some of the best Italian food I’ve had in the nearly six years I’ve lived in Japan (and that says a lot, because Italian food is quite popular here), but there was one significant catch: the course we ordered came with two hours of all-you-can-drink beer, wine, or cocktails, a very common feature of Japanese meals known as nomihōdai (literally, “all you can drink,” although it probably should be thought of as “all you can stand"). 

The practice of offering nomihōdai is, in my opinion, a great disservice to the customer. It is presented, of course, as a bonus of sorts, but in truth it is nothing of the sort. Because the restaurant in question knows it is obligated to provide as much alcohol as its guests can consume, it often provides some of the cheapest drinks available. When presented alongside truly exquisite food, as was the case with tonight’s meal, the result is nothing short of catastrophic, like finding a turd in your punch bowl.

Given the choice between nomihōdai and pay-as-you-go drinks, I would rather have the latter—I would gladly pay more for a drink that matches the quality of the food it is served with, rather than be plied with an unlimited number of unpalatable drinks.

Fortunately for me, there was another party tonight, one with a much more appealing selection of beverages. Some of the other foreigners at my company are leaving for various reasons—some to go back to school, others being reassigned to different countries—so there was a farewell party at an Irish pub not far from where our New Year’s party had been held. A nice Guinness, even at 1,000 yen a pop, is far better than any amount of “free” no-name beer.



If only the Japanese knew what they are missing, I’m sure nomihōdai would all but disappear. For the time being, however, it seems that I’ll have to seek total satisfaction separately.