(no subject)
Last week I went out to a club for the first time in a while, and probably the first time in America. After some of my experiences in Japan I was doubtful if I'd ever feel like going to one again, but this time turned out to be worth it because I got in free and knew a lot of the people who went there. And the beer was even fairly cheap.
It all started with the Japanese conversation hour. I've been going there every week and meeting some people, and hanging out a little afterward. I don't know anybody too well but I've made a shitload of acquaintances in a short time. This Taiwanese guy that goes there was promoting for a club, so he was giving out passes that got you in for free without having to wait in line with the rabble. Two guys I'd met a few weeks ago and another one I met that night were going, so I decided to go too. The club ended up being under Harper's, which is only about a block from my house.
Inside, it was dark but roomy, with lots of tables and booths surrounding a mini dancefloor and DJ table. It felt more like an upscale bar than anything, but that's fine by me. This was Asian night, so in addition to seventy-five percent of the crowd being Asian, there were also cheap bottles of imitation Japanese beer and a big banner with 性感 ("sexual feeling" in Japanese) written on it. My friends and I thought it was pretty amusing, at least.
The first part of the night was spent in my usual loser mode, only talking a bit with the people I'd come in with and mainly drinking. Despite catching up with a few people I knew, that feeling of being alone despite being surrounded by people was starting to kick in. Not good. Probably the turning point was when I decided to go sit in a booth with a couple people I'd met a few weeks ago. I was able to talk for quite a while with a girl that I'd wanted to get to know more. She seemed somewhat guilty about not working harder on English in America, especially since her friends spent a lot of time just having fun. I think that most Japanese people I know here would agree to something like this if you put it to them, but I haven't met too many that think about it enough to bring it up on their own. It turns out that she's also into some of the same bands and the few anime that I still like. She has a boyfriend already, though, but I'd like to talk with her a bit more.
I also ran into Natsuki, who I had an okay conversation with over huge American sushi last week. We talked for a while and hit some good points, but at times I was kind of unsure about what to talk about. Earlier we'd had a good time talking about Dragon Quest VIII, which I never imagined I'd really do with too many Japanese girls even though it's a hell of a great videogame. This time I really didn't do much but say hi, though. According to her roommate Akemi, who was also there, it seemed like I made a good impression last week. We'll have to see how it goes. Especially with how long it took me to meet people in Japan, I'm glad that I've met a bunch lately.
I always end up running into people and going out without really planning to on Thursday nights. I don't worry too much about it since I have so few classes right now, though. It's nice to be able to hang out with people and get work done without straining myself too hard. It's a rare luxury that I don't often have, so I'd like to make the most of it for this semester.
It all started with the Japanese conversation hour. I've been going there every week and meeting some people, and hanging out a little afterward. I don't know anybody too well but I've made a shitload of acquaintances in a short time. This Taiwanese guy that goes there was promoting for a club, so he was giving out passes that got you in for free without having to wait in line with the rabble. Two guys I'd met a few weeks ago and another one I met that night were going, so I decided to go too. The club ended up being under Harper's, which is only about a block from my house.
Inside, it was dark but roomy, with lots of tables and booths surrounding a mini dancefloor and DJ table. It felt more like an upscale bar than anything, but that's fine by me. This was Asian night, so in addition to seventy-five percent of the crowd being Asian, there were also cheap bottles of imitation Japanese beer and a big banner with 性感 ("sexual feeling" in Japanese) written on it. My friends and I thought it was pretty amusing, at least.
The first part of the night was spent in my usual loser mode, only talking a bit with the people I'd come in with and mainly drinking. Despite catching up with a few people I knew, that feeling of being alone despite being surrounded by people was starting to kick in. Not good. Probably the turning point was when I decided to go sit in a booth with a couple people I'd met a few weeks ago. I was able to talk for quite a while with a girl that I'd wanted to get to know more. She seemed somewhat guilty about not working harder on English in America, especially since her friends spent a lot of time just having fun. I think that most Japanese people I know here would agree to something like this if you put it to them, but I haven't met too many that think about it enough to bring it up on their own. It turns out that she's also into some of the same bands and the few anime that I still like. She has a boyfriend already, though, but I'd like to talk with her a bit more.
I also ran into Natsuki, who I had an okay conversation with over huge American sushi last week. We talked for a while and hit some good points, but at times I was kind of unsure about what to talk about. Earlier we'd had a good time talking about Dragon Quest VIII, which I never imagined I'd really do with too many Japanese girls even though it's a hell of a great videogame. This time I really didn't do much but say hi, though. According to her roommate Akemi, who was also there, it seemed like I made a good impression last week. We'll have to see how it goes. Especially with how long it took me to meet people in Japan, I'm glad that I've met a bunch lately.
I always end up running into people and going out without really planning to on Thursday nights. I don't worry too much about it since I have so few classes right now, though. It's nice to be able to hang out with people and get work done without straining myself too hard. It's a rare luxury that I don't often have, so I'd like to make the most of it for this semester.