Drunken Shenanigans

There is a big drinking culture among the employees at my company, including both foreign teachers and Japanese staff members, and sadly my drinking tolerance has climbed to heights I haven't achieved since college. At home, my husband and I would get good and drunk once every two months, if that. In Japan, we get drunk two or three times a week. I can't count the times a quick beer after work has turned into all night affair, often with ugly results.

Last night, in a drunken haze, my husband overpaid the cab driver 10,000 yen or approximately $100. The driver looked amused as he drove away, and I thought it was my husband's Southernized Japanese that made him grin, but now I realize he just thought we were stupid gaijin (foreigners). I'm actually surprised he took the money. It's not customary to tip in Japan and I've heard stories of cab drivers refusing to take the equivalent of a $10 tip, much less $100. It had to have been obvious that my husband made a mistake, but the driver didn't correct him. Oops.

In other drunken news, I got stopped on the street by the police last night and asked to show my Gaijin card. Every foreign person in Japan has to register at the local city office and obtain an alien registration, or Gaijin card, which serves as official identification for foreigners. Last night, I was walking down the street with a Japanese friend from work, when two police officers came over and asked to see my card. It felt weird because they didn't ask to see any of my friend's identification and no one else I know has ever had to show their card, despite many displays of public drunkenness. Many foreigners get offended at the thought of being ID ed, because they think of themselves as being unfairly targeted, but to be fair my friend and I were walking too close to traffic and we did nearly get hit by a truck. The officers were also very polite about it. Police officers in America have shouted at my friends and I for far less. But still, the thought of me as this suspicious looking character that Japanese police need to check out makes me laugh.

I would now like to leave you with this photo. Notice how the sign is only in English. The last line reads "this is a people area, please keep it clean." I guess English speaking people are the only ones who need to be told not to let their pets take a crap in front of a historic temple. Oh silly gaijin!