The "Party Party" game has gone international.

At least, that's what Masashi told me after we played our first game.

Think of it as hot potato without a potato, and with an entire glass of beer for the loser (Or, if you're me, a glass of "Jiyusu," or juice). The Japanese are all about drinking, and the games that go along with it. This place is an entire culture of drinking; from businessmen to teenagers alike, going out and swallowing glass after glass of beer isn't reserved for St. Patrick's Day or the like, but rather any day is fine to drink, as long as you are with your friends or co-workers.

For $20, one can enter a Nomihodai--the "alcohol buffet" I described before--with a dozen of his best buddies, and enjoy a private room, dinner, and all the beer that can be drank among the group. No one cares how loud you are, and the restaurant staff are only there to serve the patrons, the "most honorable customers."

Last night, we went to a Nomihodai near Mukogakouen...

...and I've seen a lot of beer drank.

...I've seen beer chugged.

...I've seen Ben Spadt chug.

Yet I've never seen anyone drink full glasses of beer as fast as Masashi, Takayuki, Kyohei and Akebono did. Never in my life. Drinking game after drinking game they didn't seem to tire, and only 5 minutes before their train was to arrive did three of the four run out of the Nomihodai and stumble drunkenly to the station.

That meant the only Japanese person left with our group was Masashi, who was completely and totally inebriated, in ever sense of the word, but was still standing, and still wearing his wave cap and flat brimmed hat. Things were fine... until the bill came.

It's not that we can't count... it's just that communicating cross culturally when someone forgot to pay is quite a tricky thing to do.

Masashi was shorted money. Someone forgot to pay, in fact, two people forgot to pay. He arrived at the Nomihodai with 11,000 yen, and was leaving with 6,000, which meant he had come in with about $110 bucks, and left with $60, when he only paid for a twenty's worth of beer. He wanted to ask us for the money, yet he wanted to remain polite.

We, the Americans (and one Irish along with us) only wanted him to get his money, but he refused everything we would put toward him, knowing it wasn't our spot to pay. When I offered to pickup the difference, he would refuse. When Franc offered, he would refuse.

At this time, Masashi could hardly speak English due to his drunken state, and his Japanese wasn't so great either, for that matter.

We must have wrestled with this for over 30 minutes, each time Masashi finally saying "It's ok, It's ok," and us responding: "No, no no no no no," wanting him to get his money.

It was getting old, fast.

Finally, it was pointed out that perhaps he had some of the money stuck in his back pocket. So, in his best keigo, Brent politely suggested that it has somehow slipped Masashi's mind, and that the money he had been seeking may in fact have still been on his body.

He paused, and checked, and after fishing in the back pocket of his clearly American denim shorts, he came up positive.

After this discovery, there was such a flurry of Japanese apologies that none of us knew what to say other than to bow furiously, thank him for a good time and beg him to see us tomorrow. He accepted, and tonight we will be going to Roppongi.

Man. My English is gone. I can't write. I'm sorry. I'm only describing facts right now. I'm trying to get this all out in 10 minutes before I need to go to class, yet there is just so much to say. I seem to have forgotten it.

I'll consider it during class, and share more with you after Roppongi--which, if you don't know what it is, you have no idea what is in store... 6 hours of overnight dancing at the loudest most bizarre clubs in Tokyo. We'll get there at 11 p.m., and return home after the trains start running again at 6 a.m. I mean, it is Friday.

Also, in about 2 hours at the Nomihodai, we learned five different drinking games: Pin, Pon, Pan! Nakayuki, Party! Party!, The counting game and the "Welcome Back" game.

Masashi made me promise to teach you all when I get home.

Oh, and by the way: I showed Masashi all the T-Town pictures when we were at the library the other day, and he was impressed...

... with the girls!

Lookout ladies!

Photos from last night are in the gallery.

Wow, this was a shitty entry, and I think it's because I typed it in the morning.