Hashigo – Sept 17th

Today was the second day of tours around Tokyo, and I decided this time to go with Tokyo Tower and Roppongi, since I hadn’t been to either before. Today again the group going to Asakusa was enormous; with only myself and Reed (from SF State) going to Tokyo Tower. Our guides were almost the same as the day before, but Jin, the guy in the foreground from the Asakusa group photo, went home as we met up with Hans by Tokyo Tower. I don’t think he likes heights all that much. I was shocked at the cost of going up just to the mid-level area of the tower: 820 yen! Since everyone else was going up, I really had no choice in the matter but get left behind in the light rain. Okaasan (host-mom) knew it would rain today, so she picked up a compact umbrella at the 100 yen shop and gave it to me. We waited in line and went up to the viewing station. The overcast day robbed us of much of our visibility, but it was still a nice view. On a clear night, it would make an excellent date spot.

We had spent so much time at Tokyo Tower that we barely had time to walk around Roppongi Hills, the posh skyscraper at the center of the bustling business sector. There was some sort of aquarium expo going on, so a quick look at the fishes, and we retreated back to the station. There was another big nomikai planned tonight, and we were going to be late!

We arrived about 15 minutes after the nomihoudai had started, and everyone was in good spirits, especially a small American girl named Lindsey, who had a clear head start on us. We enjoyed ourselves for a good hour or so, and Ayaka, one of the Japanese students showed up to face a huge drunken chorus of “Happy Birthday” and a little cake. Apparently, she had just turned 20 or 21, darned whippersnappers. With several people standing up to hit the pitchers of chu-hai, everyone was in good spirits by the time we stumbled down the stairs. Lindsey had unfortunately had wayyy too much to drink, and despite having thrown up on herself, one of the tables, and my umbrella, maintained a glazed smile of bliss and contentment. I grabbed my umbrella and washed it in the bathroom sink, bearing no ill will towards the poor girl who had to somehow find her way back to the dorms in Chiba.

When we got to the ground floor, I was confronted with a sea of white people in pink shirts. I had to ask.

“sorry, but who on Earth ARE you??”
“We’re the Oxford rugby team, we just had a match with Waseda today.”

I did not know about that, but I must know the result.

“So who won?”
“Waseda…”
I tried to hide my exuberance and told them to “drink up” in the most consoling voice I could conjure.

We all gathered in the rotary again for another hand-clapping unison, and even some tossing of Teru and Teruki, the leaders of WIC and Niji no Kai, in the air. Afterwards, Teru invited me to a second nomihoudai at another izakaya. Honestly a breath away from sober, I consented. We made our way to the new izakaya, this time in a much smaller group, and repeated the whole process. I met a few more of the Japanese students, since Hans and myself were the only Americans in the group. When time had run out, I was about 15 minutes away from the last train home. Hans had already missed his, and I would later learn that he went to a third izakaya with the group and spent an hour or so at Teru’s American-themed apartment before catching the first train back to the temple. My umbrella went missing, so someone gave me one they had (reassuring me that “it’s alright, it’s not mine!”) I said my goodbyes to everyone and walked up to the platform.

The stroll home was brisk but uneventful, my only worry being that okaasan would be up waiting for me. I had no cell phone, so I didn’t have any way of letting her know if and when I’d be home. I had gotten the front door open when I heard “arara!” She assured me it was ok, she just wasn’t able to sleep out of worry. Yukiko-san (my host-sister) later told me that okaasan actually fell asleep watching TV, and that I shouldn’t feel bad, but I am anxious to get my cell phone so this kind of thing doesn’t happen again. Tomorrow is 敬老の日 (respect the elderly day), so the kuyakusho is closed until Tuesday. Once I apply for my gaijin registration card, I can get my keitai!