One of my fellow gaijin (foreigner) friends threw herself a Farewell Party this weekend in Nagoya.
She leaves Japan the day before I do and will be returning to her home in Lexington, Kentucky and her job at Toyota (TMMK).
She asked everyone to come dressed in their favorite Japanese outfit or ridiculous fashion trend!
Everyone knows I like a party with a theme, and this one was no exception!! It was almost as good as Halloween!
The guest of honor, Kelly, is the tall blond on the right, and she has the same problem I have--No clothes in Japan will fit her!! Somehow, we managed to squeeze ourselves into something "super cute" any way...
As you can see, I choose a minidress with purple tights and open-toed shoes. I also topped things off (literally) with a sparkling headband that's bendy like a giant pipe cleaner!!
I got some funny looks during my subway ride to the bar, and some teens were even pointing and laughing at me. Geez... they wear this stuff all the time, but when a gaijin wears it somehow it's super entertaining!
Also, fur is super trendy in Japan this fall, from the fur leg warmers to go with classy heels or the "fur tails" that one of the girls in the left side of this picture is sporting!!
Guy with a top-knot hairdo plastic wig and a Ninja!
Short skirts all around in this photo of the ladies!
What would a Japanese party be with out some R and L confusion on the menu?
"Sparkring" wine, anyone?!
I have never actually bought a drink in a Japan bar.
There are two reasons for this:
1. Nomihodai (all you can drink). Some bars in Nagoya like to assess a flat fee to each person in the bar for a limited amount of time, usually 3 hours, and you can order whatever you would like.
2. Other bars have a entrance fee, usually around $30, and then they give you 4 drink tickets to use at your leisure.
These are great methods for efficiency. The bartenders don't deal with money, you can get your drinks really quickly, and no worries about the cost of ordering shots or expensive Red Bull drinks.
The downside occurs only if you prefer cheap drinks (like beer), are a lightweight drinker, or you are the DD. Wait a minute... no one is the Designated Driver in Japan, since everyone takes trains or taxis at night!!
Regardless of how much or how little you drink, everyone pays the same price... maybe that's why there are so many darn alcoholics in this country!!
I love this guy with the eye patch. It's really popular in Tokyo, and basically means you're a bad@$$. People shouldn't mess with you because you are a tough guy!
This guy is "Huge in Japan" knocking over buildings on his shirt.
Hmm... where have I heard that before? It sounds vaguely familiar...
The Japanese salaryman and his Mt. Fuji hat. LOL!
This girl has on a flowered, one-piece capri length romper.
They were all the rage in the summer. She said she got a sweet deal on it because it's out of season...
and I thought things never went on sale in Japan!
(Other than Jan 1st and July 1st, of course!)
A cool thing about this bar we were hanging out at is that they played only Michael Jackson videos non-stop for 3 hours!! Unfortunately, other music was coming from the speakers, but it was cool to see MJ every time you looked at a TV!!
KG meets a J-Pop star! (Japanese Pop music)
LOL... he's looks amazingly realistic, but he's actually a Toyota engineer by day, also from Kentucky!!
Moving on to a Nagoya nightclub in our ridiculous outfits.
This club needs at least 10 shiny, spinning disco balls...
Don't forget 6 chandeliers and hundreds of people.
If you thought the train cars in Japan are packed, just come dancing in this maze of people!!
The lovely ladies ending up on a stage because it provides a great view and some breathing space from the smashing crowd!
Here's a quick video of the inside of the nightclub.
I was giving a nice commentary, but the music overpowers it!
(You must go directly to the blog to view it.)
Do all the clubs play American music?
ReplyDeleteIt's a mix of J-pop and American music.
ReplyDelete