Hello, I am Yoshi from NILS Japanese language school. Many Japanese people enjoy several year-end parties called Bonenkai 忘年会, wih friends, colleagues and members of various social groups in December. Bonenkai literally means “forget（忘）-the-past-year（年） party（会）.” The purpose of the parties is to forget all about the bad memories from the previous twelve months adn to say goodbye to the passing year. These parties are usually held in pubs and restaurants. People have a goood time eating, drinking and sometimes singing karaoke. A year-end party is considered a singnificant opportunity to build up a sense of fellowship and unity within the group.

December 10th News, from NILS Japanese language school.