What are Parties?

Parties and social events symbolize the ways in which Keiko is socially incompatible with conventional society. In an effort to mingle with “normal” people, Keiko accepts invitations to parties hosted by her friend Miho. At these parties, she is continuously judged by the other people due to her eccentricity and her unmarried status and lack of an acceptable career. These parties come to symbolize the outside world, where in contrast to the convenience store, Keiko is seen as an alien figure that does not belong.