Kanazawa Nomikai.

[sechan19]

So, it was a little after 10pm in the guesthouse. I had finished up my travel logs (though only posted a few as of that moment), and I was thinking about packing it in for the evening. I'd walked quite a bit that day after all, I was thinking, and had another full day in the works.

And then Kayoh-san (the girl from Tokyo) came in and asked if there was any alcohol to be had. Makoto-san, who had been chatting with Toku-san and Take-san - a couple also from Tokyo - explained that he didn't have anything, and that Kayoh-san should have bought something if she wanted to drink.

"Oh, but everyone would be sleeping, I thought," she explained. (I'm not sure what the reasoning behind this statement was, honestly.) "But if you're up, is it alright if I drink? I can drink by myself if it's a problem."

"By yourself," I broke in. "That sounds lonely... like you're drinking all alone in the genkan (foyer) or something."

The idea of drinking in the genkan put everyone into a fit of laughter for some reason.

"Well, if people want to join me, why don't you give me five-hundred yen, and I'll go to the store and buy things for everybody."

And that was pretty much it for us. It occurred to me very quickly that this was an opportunity absolutely not to be missed. I asked if I could join in, handed over my money, and begin introducing myself to the other members of the nomikai (drinking party) that I hadn't yet met.

When Kayoh-san returned, she had a bottle of red wine, five big cans of beer, and some izakaya-style snacks (nuts and dried fish, etc.). Makoto-san added in some tempura treats and we were set.

The conversation veered all over the place. We talked about English idiomatic phrases, the latest digital camera technology, differences in Japanese and American beer, chopsticks etiquette, travel and travelers, the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, and other things that I couldn't possibly remember. We also played a batsu game, took lots of goofy pictures, and went for a second beer run.

At about 2am, a British traveler named Richard came in from his evening out and joined us. He didn't speak any Japanese, though, so I began translating the difficult passages for everyone and running a series of conversations in tandem. Conversation topics expanded to include the difference between American and British English, what I planned to do with my graduate degree, football (soccer), and more.

We finally packed it in around 3. I gave everyone a copy of my cell number and email address, and invited them to contact me when back in the Tokyo area. Then we all stumbled off for bed, and I, for one, slept the sleep of the just. (But I suspect my compatriots did as well.)

Comments

[foxxydancr.livejournal.com]

so what IS proper (and improper) chopsticks etiquette?

[unapperent.livejournal.com]

I was thinking the same thing... =D

[reteva.livejournal.com]

Sorry this took so long to get back to...

There's a number of things that are so-called no-nos. You should never pass food between two people by means of chopsticks (nor even, I recently learned, help someone to split two stuck-together gyoza). This is how bones are passed at a funeral. Along the same line, you should never stand chopsticks straight up in a bowl of rice. This is how the dead are served at the altar.

On a more mundane level, you should never make a big production of cleaning up splintered chopsticks. And you should hold them in a very specific way - using only the thumb and the fore and middle fingers (the ring and pinky fingers are just there to look good, or something). Generally, when eating out with people and using a mutual dish (as at sukiyaki or shabu-shabu dining establishments), it's polite to turn your chopsticks around when serving yourself from the shared dish and not contaminate the food with your mouth germs.

I'm sure there's more that I'm not aware of.

[unapperent.livejournal.com]

Interesting.

So, how do you pass food to someone if you wish to share?

[reteva.livejournal.com]

You offer them your plate, and they take what they want.