We had a good time on Friday – a really good time. After school I met up with Antoine to play pool and hang out for a while. Antoine showed up sporting an alternate hairstyle – it was really interesting. Kind of like a mohawk, but a little more subdued.
We went to the same billiard place that we went to last time. It is in a weird location, on top of a game amusement place that looks pretty seedy despite being right across from a police station.
We stepped over a knocked over garbage can to get in the elevator, and arrived at the top floor where all the pool tables are. The beers are pretty cheap here, and the tables are not so expensive either. There were a couple of foreigners shooting pool at the end of the room and then a couple of salaryman types working off their frustrations at the tables.
Antoine and I played for an hour and ordered up beers whenever we were thirsty – the nice young lady would call the kitchen and then bring the beers right to the table. Nice!
We played three games and I lost two to Antoine. We were playing anything goes pool, and it was fun. It’s much more fun when you don’t sweat the rules so much, but as I write this I think that’s probably true with just about everything.
From there we went to Starchild Burgers, which is a place that I’ve been trying to visit for almost six months without luck. This was the fourth attempt, and it worked out that they were open for business. Their menu was filled with a burgers and appetizers, and we both got a bacon cheeseburger, and some nachos for a starter. The nachos were good, the burgers were great, and I had a couple of Heineken darks with dinner. I haven’t had Heineken dark since drinking it on tap at the Silver Dollar Hofbrau in Fresno, California during college.
The next stop was King of Kings, another place that I thought about visiting but never have. The place was quiet, and the jovial bartender led us to a really nice bar. We pulled up a stool and enjoyed some professionally done drinks. I knew it was going to be expensive just from the layout of the place. You can either sit there and worry about how much it’s going to be and hurry through the experience, or you can just relax and enjoy it. The language we used was Japanese – with the exception of a bar waitress that spoke a little English. She explained that she wants to learn English because someday she will travel to Spain. I tried to explain that they speak Spanish in Spain, but I guess English is a little more useful. People tend to be more practical about the language they learn, and English goes pretty far in this world.
We paid the bill (3 drinks, 5700 yen, around $50) and headed back to the station – it was getting late by now, and there was some doubt as to weather Antoine could get home before the last train.
Kuniko was drinking in town tonight, too. She had gone out with a bunch of her teachers, and so we were in touch via cellphone messages throughout the evening trying to coordinate it so we could go home together. As it worked out I sent off Antoine and walked back up the street a little and after a little guidance from Kuniko found the restaurant where they were. I went inside and said a quick hello and goodbye to everyone, and then we hit the road.
Kuniko was having trouble walking – I had to support almost all her weight as we walked, and we quickly determined that a long walk to the train station and a long ride home probably wasn’t going to happen. I walked us up the hill a little bit and as we were getting our bearings on where we were the bartender assistant from King of Kings went walking by and gave us a big smile and hello. What a sight we must have been – that guy was just in my bar and already he’s dragging a beautiful girl around looking for a hotel.
I flagged down a taxi, and he took us to a couple of love hotels, looking for one with an open room. Love hotels are usually just for short term stays – an hour or so, but as it gets later, they rent out the rooms for the night, and the prices are quite reasonable. Usually about the same price as three drinks at King of Kings.
We found one, and watched as an embarrassed young man dug through his pockets and was unable to afford a room for him and his date. They ended up having to leave, and so we stepped up and got a room. The owner’s wife came out to check on Kuniko’s condition, especially since she couldn’t really stand up on her own. I guess we were OK enough to get the room – we went down the hall and crashed right out in a no-frills love hotel.
The nice thing about love hotels is that they don’t do much business in the morning – that means that we could sleep in late. We took advantage of that, and got out of there around 10:30. Kuniko was feeling a little queasy, but we made it home safely and then went back to sleep. By afternoon she was feeling fine, and we both had a big appetite.
Kuniko cooked up a tasty chicken, tomato and cheese dish for dinner, and we had some special shu-mai that we had gotten at IY along with it. The dish turned out great – and it was pretty healthy, too.
Now it’s Sunday, and we’re doing housework, studying, and relaxing. It was snowing outside this morning, but now it has stopped and we’re getting ready to head over to IY for some shopping.
