My Japanese Beer Party

Before I post about my second day in Tokyo, I have to tell about the last night :) I was invited to a Japanese Beer Party of the department, an event only occurring 3 times a year. 70 members (professors, doctors, laboratory staff, nurses etc.) of the department jointed the party in a restaurant, where we were served a wide variety of Japanese dishes (sashimi – raw fish, soba – a sort of noodle etc.) and endless beer pitchers. So the party went the usual Japanese party way: Food and beer until everyone reached his or her personal drunk level. At this point a lot of people started to speak English quite fluently (or at least the local Japenglish) and Dr. Satoh, an assistant professor, introduced me to a 25-year old nurse, who spoke not a word English but still thought I was cute and obviously liked my nose, what she was showing by touching it (my nose!) frequently. Later Dr. Satoh (who took an obvious interest in getting me home with a Japanese woman and mentioned several times that “life is only one time”) introduced me to another single nurse, this time 23 and with basic English skills. Even though the conversation was bumpy we became the main attraction for the nurses table behind us and were surrounded by male and female nurses with uncertain motives (conversation, making fun, curiosity) a few minutes later. Around 11 p.m. the event at the restaurant ended and I joined a party of doctors and nurses who were heading to another pub nearby. It was a nice, relatively small bar/restaurant and I was invited to more food (yakitori – chicken skin/liver/legs on a wooden stick, sashimi, octopus and more), sake and Shōchū (a kind of Japanese whisky). Around 1 a.m. I left the restaurant quite drunk with two doctors and another medical student (all even more drunk than me) to head to a ramen (spaghetti like noodles) shop to eat again :)
Around 2 a.m. I had found my way home to my youth hostel, recognizing that it was closed during night time. I had to stay next to my bike in the bicycle shed for 5 hours, than got 1 hour of sleep in my bed (in a room with 7 other men...) before I had my breakfast, took a shower and had to leave the youth hostel for work.
Quite a party experience.