As I am writing this post I’ve got a small cup of chocolate chip cookie ice cream in front of me, I’m listening to the White Stripes’ new album, and I’m buzzing just a little bit from all the beers I just drank.
My day at school went just fine. I had three classes – one class was full of mock interviews to prep for the STEP proficiency test. Some of the students did well, others, not so well. It was a good reality check for them, though, and I think they will study hard to get ready for it. If they had trouble I would explain what I was looking for in Japanese, something I don’t usually do. After the interviews one of the students complimented me on my Japanese, saying that it had improved a lot. That was nice for me to hear.
I had lots of fun with my first year classes today. The students are really into the classes, and so I had lots of great conversations. They turned in their first homework today, and it was fun to read those. They are supposed to introduce themselves to me, and use at least 100 words of English. My favorite quote – one of my students wrote: “I am a fervid hater of tomatoes.” Oh yeah.
After school I came back home, did a quick cleanup, and then went out to eat some sushi at the local restaurant. Every time I go to this sushi place people have ended up picking up my bill, so I really want to go there and see how expensive this place is. Unfortunately, it wasn’t in the cards tonight – it was closed for the evening.
Instead I kept going along the road and went to a yakitori that is next to the greasy ramen place. I’ve never been there, even though it’s very close to my place. My allegiance is to my regular yakitori (Denya), but I figured that I should at least try the other place. I ducked in there, hoping that none of the regulars from Denya were driving by just then.
Inside I sat at the bar – it was a fairly spacious place, and there were lots of other people in there. I ordered up a variety of food and a beer, and sat watching the TV and taking in the scenery. There was a couple of people to my right who were curious about me, but they were too shy to talk. The waiter took my order, and I could tell that he was impressed that I could read the menu. That made me feel good, even though my ordering in Japanese wasn’t so smooth.
At one point there was a big group of people coming in, so we had to sit close to each other at the bar, and that was the opening that the couple was looking for. They sat right next to me, and offered me some scotch. I was drinking beer so I declined, but they ordered some more beer for me, and then we started chatting.
It was a weird thing – they were really excited to be talking with a foreigner, but since they didn’t know English we talked entirely in Japanese. It was fun to chat with them – they were really nice folks. I exchanged business cards with the husband, and as I look at the card now I can’t tell exactly what he does. He works in Takasago, where I work, so that was a good conversation starter.
They ordered some food for me to try out, and we sat and talked about all kinds of things while the food was being prepared. I ate big once it came, with lots of thank-you’s, and after another hour or so, they said they had to leave. They were really happy to talk with me, and they invited me and Kuniko to come visit them sometime. The wife said to me that her husband loves me, so I’m not sure if we’re still on a platonic relationship or not. The husband told the master of the yakitori that from that point on, everything I bought was on them. He said that I should take my time and enjoy ordering from the menu. Then, they left.
I don’t know how comfortable I would be telling a stranger to order on me for the rest of the night, but I wasn’t about to take advantage of the guy. I cashed out soon after they left. My bill was only about ten bucks, a hell of a deal.
I’ve heard stories of people that come to Japan and take advantage of the curiousity and hospitality of others. It’s amazing how nice people are here – especially to foreigners. It’s financial evidence of how nice people are here – it’s a way for them to express their hospitality in a society keeps home life in the family… the houseparty hasn’t really caught on here.
As I left the restaurant there was a girl on her cellphone outside. As I walked out I nodded a goodbye to her, and she gave me a look that made me feel like the only piece of meat at a carnivore convention.
On my way home I decided to swing into 31 Flavors for a scoop of ice cream, and I could tell that I made the employee’s day a lot more interesting as I debated between flavors for a few minutes. Once I got my scoop of ice cream I walked towards the exit, and two girls dressed to kill came walking by – they said ‘hello’ in English as I walked by.
Life is very interesting in Japan, I can’t deny that. It was a fun night, but now I’m back home and looking forward to meeting up with Kuniko tomorrow. She’s back from Okinawa, and it should be fun to hear all the stories about her trip.
