source: http://www.kijimagroup.co.jp/blog/?cat=73
Japanese business entertainment, so called “Settai(接待)”
Definition
There are companies practice “business entertainment” to maintain their business. The examples of the business entertainment is dinner after work hours, golf, and sexual services to treat clients and companies in business. Often, these costs are called an “entertainment allowance”. It is usually regarded as “meeting with clients”, but company bears the cost of the amusement and drinking. In general, drinks and snacks served during the meetings are categorised as “convention expense” and it is differ from the “entertainment allowance”. All Entertainment allowance is not processed in taxation as expenses.
This culture of business entertainment(“Settai”) sometimes goes too far from an entertainment.
In Japan, there are places that offer drinking and sexual services; however, it is usually too expensive for entertainment allowance that companies bear. Hence, implicitly the employees (youngers and women) are forced to entertain clients in “Settai” as party stunts including sexual services. When I saw the list of Japanese party stunt among business entertainment, I was quite shocked. I also interviewed few people who work at advertisement agency, trading company, and insurance company to see if this is a real story.
Levels of the Japanese party stunt in business entertainment
source: http://syachiku.tumblr.com/post/13692931020
I am using “dan” to describe the levels. “Dan” is used in Japanese martial arts such as Karate and Judo.
God
Eat clients’ excrement
10 dan
Defecating
9 dan
Blowjob without cellophane(for women prostitute entertainment)
8 dan
pseudo SM play on naked
7 dan
Flower arrangement on anus or insert cucumber into anus (for women public stripping)
6 dan
Burn your pubic hair
5 dan
Dance on naked with drawing on the naked body
4 dan
Dance on naked (for women topless dance)
3 dan
Chug beer poured on leather shoes
2 dan
Chug pitcher of beer
1 dan
Dogeza
If you are 8dan or greater, you are able to work at trading companies and advertisement agencies.
If you are 5 dan or less, you are capable to work at stock trading companies and insurance companies.
If you are 1 or 2 dan, good luck working at ordinary companies.
Reality
I interviewed 10 business people (aged 20-30) who work at advertisement agency, trading company, and insurance company to rank their levels. Myself, I have not done any of these in my life and do not want to work these companies.
5 people ranked themselves as “6 dan”, 3 as “2 dan”, 1 as “8 dan” and 1 have never done those before. I was shocked that half of them are level 6. There were various reasons to put them into these horrible entertainment:
I don’t want to do it, but I need to get or maintain the client to be promoted and raise a salary.
A boss forced me to do it
It was just fun
If you are planning to work at these field in Japan, you need to prepare to avoid these business entertainment and Japanese party stunt. Moreover, there is a Japanese business culture related to drinking which is after work hour drinking called “Nomikai”. Communication during this “Nomikai” is called “Nominication” (drinking communication) which provides you significant communication time with your colleagues and boss; however, sometimes “Nomikai” gets extreme. Japanese party stunt listed above are performed by the younger employees in the same company usually forced by bosses. If you are not comfortable with these “Nomikai” and business entertainment (I am sure all of you are not), you should quit the company as soon as possible and find a new job which does not require “Nomikai” or business entertainment. There are better jobs available.
