Too Much Party Rocking

On Wednesday evening I was feeling cooped up so I forced myself to find a foreigner friendly bar.  I ended up choosing Murphy’s, an Irish Bar just a 30 minute hike down the road.  When I arrived it was practically empty, but I talked to the manager for a while and had a few beers.  He was an Irish guy named Steve and he was really friendly and talkative.  He has been in Osaka for four years, but it is his last week working at the bar since he is about to start as an English teacher.  It seems like English teachers sit at the top of the food chain in the world of expat jobs.  I got my bill for the 3 beers at 2400 yen (i.e. $31).  $10/ beer, yikes!  Either the dollar is really weak or the yen is really strong.  I guess it’s probably both.

It was about midnight when I finished walking home.  I was tired and intended to get some sleep, but as I got to the door some guys were heading out to hit some clubs.  What the hell, why not?  They were biking, but most Japanese bikes have this little space on the back wheel where you can tie things down.  Expert tip: it also works as a seat.  I hopped on and soon enough we were at some club called Azure in Amerika-mura.  I was tired so I immediately chugged a Red Bull to stay awake.  I couldn’t believe how crowded it was on a Wednesday.  We ended up going to a couple different places and they were all packed.  It’s pretty easy to move around because foreigners either don’t have to pay cover or have reduced rates.  The music was a mix of Japanese and typical American club music.  I had an awesome time.  We stepped outside at some point and I was shocked that the sun was coming up.  Time had just flown by.  So that’s how we found ourselves foolishly buying breakfast for some Japanese girls before wandering around looking for the bikes and getting back to the Mayflower House around eight in the morning.  I tried to sleep, but just laid there on my bed unable to get any rest due to the Red Bull.  I eventually gave up and got some lunch.  It was a loooooong day.

I’m learning that late nights are the norm here.  On the weekends clubs stay open until noon the next day.  I’m having trouble keeping up.  Everyone is always surprised when I tell them that everything shuts down at two in the morning in the states.  However, Japanese trains stop at midnight so while Japanese people may stay out late it doesn’t mean they always make it home.  In the late evening it’s pretty common to see people passed out on the sidewalk too tuckered out to get home.  Since the crime rate is so low I guess it’s safe to sleep anywhere.