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Have you ever experienced a drinking party called “0-Jikai” in Japan? It is common for Japanese people to create small get-together and arrange quick drinking parties before the actual party or event!

Why do Japanese people need another drinking party right before the main party they’ve already planned? O-Jikai helps Japanese people feel relaxed, and break the ice with everyone else. You can think of it like warming up and getting a head start, and this quick drinking session is especially popular to Japanese women. Let’s see more details about 0-Jikai in this article!

1. Japanese Customs before Parties in General

Japanese people normally enjoy drinking parties by the following time schedule:

(1-Jikai)

・The main drinking party starts from 18:30/ 19:00 to 20:30/21:00

(2-Jikai)

・This is the the after party which starts from around 21:00 /21:30 to 22:00

(3-Jikai)

・After-the-after-party starts from around 22:30 to 23:30 (before the last trains)

Not all Japanese people enjoy drinking parties until the last trains but a lot of them always try to stay until the last minute to get along with colleagues or friends. We can see this as a way for Japanese people to maintain and better relationships. 0-Jikai is a new style of having drinks and it starts before the main drinking party. Do you understand now why it is called “zero-Jikai”?!

In the next part, let’s see why 0-Jikai is getting so popular among Japanese people, especially to women!

2. A Hit With The Ladies

Before the main drinking parties, Japanese women tend to go for quick drinks either alone or with some dearest friends or close colleagues. Here are the common reasons why the ladies love this warming up activity.

Hitting the Refresh Button with “0-Jikai”

Either on a private hang-out or after work, some Japanese women prefer to refresh by having quick drink. These women want to forget about work 100%, and the quick drink helps their minds get a new head start. Sometimes the main drinking party even after work will be with business associates or colleagues, so it requires them to constantly talk about business and try to better relations which can be exhausting and stressful. For those who must work hard instead of having good time at main parties, they need some sort of starters to become confident and later can easily talk with other colleagues. Trying to switch their mind off of business mode, 0-Jikai is a perfect option so they can later come back with a fresh mindset and more energy!

Also, 0-jikai can be a way to let off steams and negative mindset. As important as work is, no one would want to keep thinking about their mistakes or the heavy load of work at the company. O-Jikai helps people temporarily forget about the problems and start again with refreshing minds.

Wanting to Relax

A lot of Japanese women try to finish their work at a fixed time, at about 17:30 or 18:00. Then, they would stop by a casual bar or izakaya to have a quick drink. Some Japanese women like 0-jikai by themselves while some would go out with close colleagues or friends to enjoy their girls talk. Women internationally adore gossips and Japan is no exception.

Sometimes a few minutes of private talk helps people calm their minds, get relaxed and be themselves in the most natural way.

3. Going Home Early and Getting Enough Sleep Thanks to 0-Jikai

Sometimes drinking parties are held in the week days and people need to get up early the next days for work. If people stay at drinking party until the last train, they would have a very hard time to get up on the next morning with a terrible hangover awaiting. However, if people start with 0-Jikai around 17:30 to enjoy a quick drink, then attending the major drinking party would feel quite satisfying, so they can happily go home without the fear of missing out.

Some Japanese women prefer to have 0-Jikai to start early then go home early to get enough sleep. Also, staying up late frequently worsens your skin and health significantly. Hence, female workers would love nothing more to be able to enjoy both the drinking sessions with colleagues and a good rest to protect their beauty.

With 0-Jikai, the Japanese people can save money, have a confident and fresher mindset at the main drinking as well as leave earlier and spend quality time at home.

How about you, after knowing about 0-Jikai, would you like to try 0-Jikai in Japan? Experience it once and you’ll get addicted to it!

YAE

Japan