Bonenkai (“forget the year” parties)

I could never complain of not having a social life here in Nagoya; in eight days I’ve had six parties. It sounds like a recipe for excess and weight gain, but strangely I always lose weight at this time. I’ll explain why. Restaurants do “bon-enkai” specials for large groups which are shared set dishes. This means I don’t get much to eat. The portions are pretty small and I have to flight over morsels with my (still) substandard chopstick skills. Plus there are always a few dishes I pass on. I’ll probably make up for it in California. I leave on Wednesday.