KUALA LUMPUR, March 18 — Many countries, including Malaysia, have shuttered public places with strict rules to limit people movements with the Covid-19 pandemic.
While most people have decided to temporarily halt their social activities, some in Japan are taking advantage of technology to still hang out and have a drink with their friends and loved ones while practising social distancing.
The trend, which has been described as On-nomi or “online drinking” has recently taken off among those self-isolating across Japan.
According to a report by Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun, the term was coined by a group of over 10 women in their 40s after they began gathering on the teleconferencing app Zoom to have a few beers and chat about being stuck indoors due to the virus outbreak.
The pandemic has birthed a new Japanese word: オン飲み (on-nomi; online drinking) https://t.co/vkP4KQqVwr pic.twitter.com/DsJ2r2PA0U
— Spoon & Tamago (@Johnny_suputama) March 12, 2020
Ever since a few snaps of the new trend began making rounds on social media platforms, people from all over the world have joined in the fun to have a drink with their friends using video conferencing apps such as Skype, FaceTime or Zoom without risking infection.
it me 🍷 #onnomi https://t.co/03dDvQ2UB2
— Reg Levy (@RegLevy) March 18, 2020
In some photos and videos, people are seen holding a glass of beer or wine up the camera to toast and kick back in these worrying times.
for those suffering from the effects of corona isolation, i highly recommend adopting the new japanese practice #OnNomi https://t.co/SLNy5famXk https://t.co/KhS7NgEY6E pic.twitter.com/0SscREC9GL
— Ann Clemens (@annmclemens) March 15, 2020
#onnomi #オン飲み pic.twitter.com/X3R8gkOMAR
— DJP (@geologistdjp) March 13, 2020
