Let’s celebrate Sound House’s 30th anniversary party to the fullest! What is this peculiar quirk in Japanese culture where everyone in a group laughs in unison?

Whenever people gather at Japanese bars, it starts to get so loud! In front of Tokushima Station there’s a pub called Watanabe that serves good quality steaks for only 1,000 yen, so I always go to eat there whenever I go to Tokushima. However, since this place is also popular with women, whenever four or more people gather, the pub quickly becomes a lively place with everyone bursting out in laughter loudly even with groups of only women. This is the norm and the place gets to be so loud that everyone laughs out loud at the same time! It’s fine to have fun, but I have felt unsettled many times thinking that they don’t need to laugh that hard.

This doesn’t only happen in Tokushima. Onagawa in Miyagi Prefecture is a town of men, but it’s the same there. Whenever four or more men gather at an izakaya, they definitely laugh together loudly. It’s so noisy that I even want earplugs. In other izakayas, it’s always the same: Everyone laughs at the same time. Of course, izakayas in Tokyo are no exception. Friends always start laughing hysterically at the same time when they go out to bars and start drinking. Their loud boisterous laughter pierces my eardrums. Here I thought that the only place where I could quietly enjoy a drink was at a fashionable wine bar. Just the other day, I went to my favorite one in Ikebukuro. Then, four people, consisting of two men and two women, came and sat down next to me so then they had the nerve to start drinking wine and start cackling like hyenas together. Noooo, this wine bar just turned into an underground rave, too. Are there no quiet bars in Japan anymore?

Just the other day, I went out for a drink with this professor I know who teaches linguistics at Waseda University. The izakaya was in Mejiro, Tokyo, and it was packed. As expected, four men were eating and drinking at a table nearby, talking loudly and occasionally bursting out in laughter at the same time. They were so noisy that I couldn’t hear our voices even though we were trying to hold a conversation. The professor then must have gotten an idea. He said, “This is Japanese culture, isn’t it? When the conversation gets going, everyone laughs together because it creates harmony. There’s nothing like this in Western culture. Even if there are a lot of people in the conversation, people in a group talk as if they have conversations with everyone individually, and those who want to laugh just laugh. That’s why Japan is noisy.” According to the professor, this cultural practice is similar in Korea but not in China. Well, he is a professor at Waseda University so his insight is very perceptive. I lived in the States for 20 years, and I remember that even when people were enjoying a conversation over a drink at a wine bar, no one laughed out loud at the same time. Those who want to laugh just laugh, those who want to eat just eat, and everyone looks like they are just having a good time in their own way.

Perhaps Japanese feel that they have to laugh since being part of a group is important in Japanese culture. Laughing all at once seems to strengthen the bond of the group. This is why comedians and any TV personalities who appear in the same show fake smiles in order to seem like they’re part of the group. Most of them don’t seem to show an authentic laugh, so it’s quite ridiculous that everyone does this because everyone has to keep the peace within the group since this is Japanese culture.

The reason why I’m telling you this boring story is because it has something to do with Sound House’s 30th anniversary party. This party itself may be proof that I myself have fallen into the trap of laughing. In the end, we are only Japanese people. Just like comedians, we Japanese get excited by letting out a big “AHAHAHA” and shouting at the top of our lungs together. Laughing together gives us a sense of camaraderie. Even Japanese people who usually are quiet and don’t talk much start ‘howling’ when they drink with their friends! They laugh joyfully and show their genuine side. Perhaps this is how people live their lives.

That is why our 30th anniversary party will be the time when everyone truly shows off what they are made of. Our staff members from Narita, Tokushima, Onagawa, and Kyoto offices will be in one room together for the first time ever. We will be renting a private banquet hall, so there is no need for everyone to hesitate to let their hair down and have fun. We can make as much noise as we want. In the spirit of this free and easy mood, we can laugh in a deep belly laugh together and just enjoy ourselves. In addition, we’ll be eating the best food in Tokushima. There is no need to hold back. I’m sure that everyone will have a blast and enjoy themselves to the fullest at this party.

This party will probably be the first and last company-wide celebration in the company’s history. The budget for this event is quite big: Our flights from Narita/Haneda seem more like chartered flights because more than 100 staff members will be flying to Tokushima. By the way, the reason why this anniversary party has to be held in Tokushima is only because many people from Tokushima don’t travel out of the prefecture and they’ll be excluded. I know that if we hold the party in Narita, most of the staff from Tokushima will not come. Of course in Onagawa, there is no place to hold this event and there were no hotels that could have accommodated all of us. Tokyo wasn’t a possibility and Awaji Island was even more impossible. However, in Tokushima, there is a venue that holds up to 150 people where we can enjoy ourselves. Moreover, this place is a top-class banquet hall. Therefore, I used the privilege of being the founder of the company and I myself chose to hold the 30th anniversary party in Tokushima.

It’s up to our staff members as to whether or not this celebration will be a failure or a success. We will be served a sumptuous buffet dinner of Tokushima’s finest food with the best selection of all-you-can-drink wine prepared by a renowned sommelier. There will also be a fine live piano performance by Tokushima’s no. 1 jazz pianist playing the background music and 50 liters of beer on tap sponsored by Sapporo Breweries. On every count, this is a once-in-a-lifetime celebration. I hope everyone will enjoy this celebration to the fullest by cheering and laughing out loud. Right now this may be the last big gift I can give to everyone who works for Sound House, so I hope all of us can enjoy a memorable time together.