えのき第1回忘年会のお話

1986年　えのきオープン

1987年　1年目を迎え、お客様からの要望で、忘年会をやる事に決定し、お客様から熱海に宿を経営している友人がいるとの事で、1週間後に東京の事務所から和服の女性が来店。

　　　　日程・人数・金額、次に言われたのは、どのような「会」ですか？と

　　　　はい、「山口組（私の出身地である）のチズル会」でお願いします。と

　　　　伝えたところ急に顔が変わり、申し訳ありません、私共の周りはI会で他の組の方は　　　ご遠慮願いたい。と
・・・あら、まったくジョークが外れ鬼怒川に行く事へ

55名外国人含め、いつ契約したのか近くの芸者さん3名も加わり、ステージでの演技・歌や最高の忘年会。

翌日3組に分かれ、奥地の温泉に行く組・鬼怒川の街をぶらり組、お金のない学生と社会人は28日の列車で帰り、車中の中、今日は「有馬記念」少ないお金を出し合って、賭け事に強いS氏が決めるアサヒビヤホールで有馬記念の馬券7,000円分を購入。10レース目が始まり、1番人気サクラストーブ途中で落馬、2番人気メリナイツはスタート前に失格。枠連4-4を買っていたS氏　配当金：163倍×7,000円＝1,141,000円の大当たり！
100万円を見た事の無い学生が配当金を取りに行き、彼ら5名には1人2万円を頂いたとの事。翌週えのきで聞いた初めての忘年会。笑い、驚き、生涯忘れられないエピソード



1986 Enoki opens.
1987 To celebrate the first year of opening, it was decided to hold a year-end party at the request of a customer.
A customer introduced us to a friend who runs an inn in Atami, and a woman in a kimono came to the restaurant the following week.
I told her the date, the number of people and the amount of money, and asked her what kind of ‘meeting’ it was. She asked.
When I told her ‘the Chizuru-kai of the Yamaguchigumi (Yamaguchi Prefecture, where I am from)’, her face suddenly changed serious.
(〇〇 gumi reminds her Yakuza clans)

‘I'm sorry, we are surrounded by I〇〇 gumi, so please let us not be from other clans.’ She refused.
My joke has been completely missed.

So we changed our plans and decided to go to Kinugawa with 55 people, including foreign customers.
I don't know when or who requested it, but 3 geisha from the neighbourhood joined us, and we had a great year-end party with stage performances, singing and the best year-end party ever.

The next day, we were divided into three groups: those going to the hot springs in the backcountry, those wandering around Kinugawa, and the students and working people without money, who returned on the train on the 28th.

On that day, the annual year-end ‘Arima Kinen’ derby. Everyone in the group returning home pooled their little money together and bought 7,000 yen worth of Arima Kinen tickets at the Asahi Beer Hall, decided by Mr S, who is a strong betting man.

The tenth race started and Sakura Stove, who was the favourite from everybody, fell off the horse halfway through, while the second favourite, Merinites, was disqualified before the start.
Mr S, who had bought the 4-4 bracket, hit the jackpot with a dividend: 163x × 7,000 yen = 1,141,000 yen!
Students who had never seen 1 million JPY went for the dividend and the five of them received 20,000 yen each.
The following week we heard about the first year-end party in Enoki. Laughter, surprise, an episode I remembered for the rest of my life.