Nomikai (飲み会) literally means “drinking meeting”. It is a party with colleagues, classmates or friends, usually at an izakaya (Japanese pub), with food and drinks shared at a long table. Work nomikai are a normal part of office life in Japan, and visitors working with Japanese companies are often invited.

What happens

1. Everyone waits for the toast. Nobody drinks until the organiser or a senior person says kanpai (cheers).
2. Shared dishes arrive through the evening, often as a set course.
3. People pour for each other. It is polite to top up others’ glasses, especially senior people’s, and to hold your glass when someone pours for you.
4. The party ends at a set time, and the group may move to a nijikai.

All-you-can-drink plans

Many nomikai use a nomihōdai (all-you-can-drink) plan: a fixed price per person for unlimited drinks from a set menu for a fixed time. It is usually combined with a set course. Ordering outside the menu costs extra.

How paying works

• A fixed fee per person (kaihi) collected by the organiser is common.
• Splitting the bill (warikan) is also common among friends.
• At some work parties senior people pay more, or the company pays.

Izakaya may also add an otoshi, a small dish charged per person.

Not drinking alcohol

It is fine not to drink. Order oolong tea or a soft drink and join the toast with it. If someone offers to pour more, leaving your glass full or saying you are fine is enough.

In short

A nomikai is a sociable drinking party with set customs: wait for the toast, pour for others, and pay the way the organiser decides. Soft drinks are always acceptable.

Also written as: nomikai / 飲み会 / 노미카이