Meet-and-greet is such a strange phrase in English. The dictionary defines it as an organized event during which a celebrity, politician, or other well-known figure meets and talks to the public. Generally we use it to refer to a first-time meeting and interaction between two parties. The Japanese use it as a noun (or suru verb) that indicates a brief interaction or introduction. When I was in Hokkaido, my host father insisted in ‘aisatsu-suru’-ing about town, driving over to someone’s house and introducing me to everyone there (especially those of high social standing) and then leaving. It was an unusual experience.
I’ve been incredibly impressed and inspired by my friend Rags2Ramen’s and StudyBroader’s study abroad blogs (both of which were in the same program as me at 青山学院大学) So much so that I have decided to retroactively write about my experiences during my time in Japan. I wish that I could write posts in all the languages that I know like Study Broader, but to be honest my Japanese simply isn’t that good. I think that there was so much that I learned, so much that I experienced that the best way to share would be to blog about it. Picking a service proved really difficult as well, Blogger is fantastic for integration with Google accounts and feeds, but Tumblr simply has a better interface and cross-platform integration. I recommend this service to anyone who intends to create a blog. I struggled quite a bit with picking a name. I ended up settling on nomihoudai because it is a staple of college-life (and especially that of exchange students) in Japan. But at the same time I like the idea of Gaijin Smash, but that name belongs to another blog of a similar nature. I also liked the name バタ臭い; A phrase that I love that doesn’t readily translate from Japanese. It describes someone who is unusally foreign in a faux “European” but in a way that’s different from our term “Euro-trash.” To borrow from blogger iamilliterate; Eurotrash specifically denotes a wardrobe and typically an actual European, the Japanese term is more like, “That chick think she French or som’n.”
バタ臭い
Bata kusai
Stinks of butter
The definition reads:
adjective
Western (lit: smelling of butter)
European
exotic
outlandish
alien
If you stink like butter, it’s because you’re eating too much of it. And if you’re eating too much of it, it’s because you think you French or som’n.
![飲み放題 - Nomihoudai
There is a thing that exists in Japan, that not only doesn’t exist in the United States, but in many states is illegal. It’s called Nomihoudai, or 飲み放題. This is a very strange thing indeed. The etymology is 飲み(Nomi) the stem of the verb to drink and 放題 (houdai) - as much as one likes. This is a very common thing in Japan, among groups when going out. Going out together is a very important part of group cohesion in Japan. For those in university and the workforce. A typical menu of a restaurant, or bar will have a section that reads something like this:[Aプラン] お一人様
2000円 / 2時間 3000円 / 4時間 【オールドリンク飲み放題】 ビール ＆150種のカクテル ＆ワイン ＆ウイスキー ＆スパークリングワイン ナッツ ＆スナック類English:[A Plan] one person 2000 Yen (At the exchange rate today this is about $26 USD) / 2 hours 3000 Yen (about $39 USD) / 4 hours [All drinks available for all-you-can-drink] Beer & 150 different Cocktails & Wine & Whisky & Sparkling Wine & SnacksDrinking is a huge, huge part of Japanese culture and socialization. In Japanese there exists a word for the kind of drinking party where at the end of a long day or week you go out on the town with coworkers, or classmates. This is called a 飲み会 or Nomikai. The Nomikai is a more formal drinking party, usually organized by a company, department, etc. There is another variation of this called a コンパ or Konpa, which is a more casual and spontaneous version of a Nomikai. Wiki describes this very well; “These gatherings are intended for developing friendships or deepening relationships with members of the same affiliated group or with the opposite sex that benefit Japanese socially in their careers and in their lives.“ These drinking parties are a staple of Japanese socialization, and happen frequently even during the work week. Men typically assume a very masculine role that involves displays of bravado and attempts to out-drink their peers. Many men face, and for the most part, yield to peer pressure to drink. While women typically make sure that everyone has a full drink, pour drinks for others and check for forgotten belongings after the Konpa.](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lt166bnJfo1r41w86o1_500.jpg)
