Essential Tips for Organizing a Great Work Enkai

As an expat working in Japan, you may never be asked to handle this enormous responsibility, but I've found myself at the helm of plenty of work events in the all important role: the Kanji.

Kanji? No, I don't mean kanji as in Chinese character, but 幹事, event organizer. In the Japanese work culture, the enkai or nomikai (drinking party) is a mainstay, but somebody has to put the event together. Being a kanji can be a thankless job usually given to the lowest man on the totem pole, but a little effort and prior planning can go a long way to leave a lasting impression for all involved.

Frankly, it's pretty easy to do a passable job as a Kanji in Japan. Here are the baseline requirements:

(Before the enkai)

1) Search for a place close to the office on gurunavi or tabelog that has a course menu (usually no more than 5000 yen per person with an all-you-can drink option included)

2) Make a reservation

3) Disseminate the details of the event to the participants

(At the enkai)

4) Order drinks for everyone

5) Make sure the event runs smoothly [the standard sequence: drinks, kampai, food, last order, kampai, pay, leave]

6) Collect the money and pay the bill

Still, there are two things I've learned along the way that will help you step up your Kanji game. Allow me to explain:

1) Pick a Decent Place

Here are the three factors that make a great place for an enkai:

- Plenty of space for your group: you don't want your group to be separated all throughout the restaurant or crammed into tiny eating rooms. I've experienced both, and it detracts from the overall experience. To mitigate this, be sure to make a reservation well in advance, ask for a special enkai room, and/or scope the place out yourself.

- Good food: if people are going to be spending upwards of 5000 yen per person on a "voluntold"-to-go work function, you should make sure the food and drinks are worth it. Gurunavi and Tabelog can be great options for finding spots to eat, but be sure to check out places on City-Cost, Metropolis, TimeOut Tokyo, HotPepper Gourmet, Odigo, etc.

- Memorable setting: There are tons of places to eat in Tokyo that leave their mark on their patrons. Whether you're picking a place that is has been around for hundreds of years, or a Showa-era joint that harkens back to a bygone time, or a modern themed-restaurant, there are myriad choices that can leave a lasting impression. 

My recommendation is to pick a place with a good story behind it. If you don't know of any off-hand, check out those sites I mentioned above.   Some of my successes have been at places like Zauo (the fishing restaurant), Inoki Sakaba (sadly, closed down), and Sake Breweries.

2) Don't necessarily go for the Course Menus

If the budget is between 3500-5000 yen per person, I recommend avoiding course menus. Certainly, I see the appeal of course menus--it takes all the thinking out of it, since you just pick a course and go. Still, there are some good reasons to take the road less traveled.

First and foremost, course menus are usually terrible. Instead of getting the best dishes from the menu, you usually get the cheapest, least appetizing options.

Second, ordering from a standard menu opens up restaurant options, since many of the better places to go don't have course menus.

Third, you'd be surprised at how many people avoiding drinking a ton at a work enkai. You'll usually have one or two who like to keep the drinks flowing, but my experience has taught me that few people will drink enough to make all-you-can-drink options worth it at formal enkai.  It's actually cheaper just to order pitchers or individual drinks (and more considerate for the non-alcohol drinkers that will invariably attend).

Fourth, avoiding course menus will put you in control of the food options, so if someone (the boss, in particular) likes something that comes out, you can order seconds without upsetting the overall price.

The trick is to scope out the menu before heading to the event. Do some simple calculations to have your choices in mind before you go. A good rule of thumb is one order per four people; e.g. one salad for four people, one main dish to split between four people, etc. Also, make sure that you're the one doing the ordering at the restaurant. It'll keep you busy, but also keeps you in control.

If you take my advice, you'll be able to make your next enkai a memorable occasion. If you do, you'll ingratiate yourself with your colleagues and maybe even your boss. Worst case scenario? You'll best asked to do it again!