Last January, NHK’s nightly in-depth news series, “Closeup Gendai,” ran a feature about the practice of “poeticizing” (poemu-ka) the harsher aspects of life. It’s not a trend that’s easy to explain, and the program used an event called Izakaya Koshien as an illustration. A food service industry convention invites izakaya (drinking establishments) from all over Japan to send employees who present their ideas for “making Japan feel good.” On stage, staff from the businesses they represent declaimed in stylized speech how much they love their work and how it fulfills their “dreams.” The most convincing presentation won a prize.

Source: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/