Calling around
Yesterday started off very well. The weather was lovely and work was leisurely. With everyone else out of the office on a presentation, Evan, Yusuke, Hideyo and I took a long lunch at a nice place none of us had even been to. It was in the middle of a row of restaurants we always manage to miss. We couldn't resist a bit of wine with with our pasta and chicken gratins. The conversation was mostly about food, which is never a bad sign. When we left, the smell of spring and the warm sunlight were too much to resist, and we walked to Yamaya to buy a bottle of wine and some crackers. On finally returning to the office, we promply broke it open and yammered about wine for a while. It was the first time in a while that I was able to deliver a good lecture. Haha. "Sideways" has done a lot to open ears. We did do a bit of work, but not much.
After sending off a few mails, I set out for Roppongi to meet Sanae and her friend, who was to join us out that night. It was suddenly windy and cold, and Martin was going to be a bit, so we stepped into a cafe and yammered over coffee. Sanae's friend, Shiro-chan, was a bit shy but seemed very nice. Sanae promoted her many attractive points, including her love of whisky and brandy, which I must admit is a good one. Eventually Martin showed up and the girls were delighted that he fit perfectly with the image they had of a young foreign guy working at a big foreign securities company, dressed up to go out. Of course, it was sardonic amusement. Anyway, we scrapped plans for yakiniku in favor of heading straight to bar number one. I was actually hungry, and in retrospect it was a bad idea. But we were planning on getting snacks there, so off we went. The bar was Heartland, which Sanae said was a lively but chic place to mingle. Unfortunately, when we arrived the crowd was mostly Lehman Brothers and Goldman Sachs guys just off work, and girls fishing for their money. The drinks weren't bad, though. Also, Shiro-chan met some Australian guy. They're going out for lunch, but since they're both monoglots that will be interesting.
Heartland probably would have been better later, but we tired of it and wandered off to the next place, a bar Martin knew of called Wall Street. It was still fairly empty when we arrived. Dark wood and leatherettes accompanied by heavy hip hop was an interesting mix. Here, Martin and Sanae started to hit the booze, but considering all the pills I'm taking, I figured I had better go easy. Of course, we never did eat anything in Heartland, and our meal for the night consisted entirely of the pretzels we got at Wall Street. Eventually, Shiro-chan left to get the train, but it looked like Martin, Sanae and I were in it for an all-nighter. When we left Wall Street, the choice was between small bars (of which I know several good ones in the area) or big clubs. Martin and Sanae were ready to party, so we headed for the latter, specifically Vanilla. Martin knew it; I had never been there but had heard things. I know Terumi had been there several times with friends. Anyway, it was just getting going when we arrived, but it was easy to see it was a different type of place from Air or Yellow or the clubs I usually go to. It had a number of floors with ample lounge space, the music was not quite so loud. And the clothes of the clientele made it clear it was a place for meeting, not dancing. Still, it seemed amusing and I was getting geared for some fun. Sanae, however, was not. The alcohol suddenly hit her and I basically had to help her walk. She was worried Richard would get jealous, and called him constantly; she always gave the phone to me and I had to reassure and apologize. Just then, Martin reappeared and said he had to go because his girlfriend (who lives in America) did not want him out. So, he ditched us and it soon became clear Sanae had to go home. I took her down to a taxi and sent her off. There's no re-entry into clubs here. So I was back on the street, out 3000 yen after 30 mintues, half a whisky, and zero schmoozing. The doorman wouldn't hear my story, and though I wanted to go back, I couldn't make myself cough up more money. Or I figured that if I did, I would be pissed off and in no state to have fun alone. So I grumped off to the last train home.
I made myself feel a bit better with some intriguing IMing, but the results have yet to come in. Today I got up late. Sanae called, Martin mailed, etc. etc. Oh well. I have dinner with Evan, Yusuke, and their respective other halves at 7 in this glorious corner of Tokyo. Until then, maybe I'll hit the Kawabata at a cafe somewhere. Eh, Saturday afternoon.
After sending off a few mails, I set out for Roppongi to meet Sanae and her friend, who was to join us out that night. It was suddenly windy and cold, and Martin was going to be a bit, so we stepped into a cafe and yammered over coffee. Sanae's friend, Shiro-chan, was a bit shy but seemed very nice. Sanae promoted her many attractive points, including her love of whisky and brandy, which I must admit is a good one. Eventually Martin showed up and the girls were delighted that he fit perfectly with the image they had of a young foreign guy working at a big foreign securities company, dressed up to go out. Of course, it was sardonic amusement. Anyway, we scrapped plans for yakiniku in favor of heading straight to bar number one. I was actually hungry, and in retrospect it was a bad idea. But we were planning on getting snacks there, so off we went. The bar was Heartland, which Sanae said was a lively but chic place to mingle. Unfortunately, when we arrived the crowd was mostly Lehman Brothers and Goldman Sachs guys just off work, and girls fishing for their money. The drinks weren't bad, though. Also, Shiro-chan met some Australian guy. They're going out for lunch, but since they're both monoglots that will be interesting.
Heartland probably would have been better later, but we tired of it and wandered off to the next place, a bar Martin knew of called Wall Street. It was still fairly empty when we arrived. Dark wood and leatherettes accompanied by heavy hip hop was an interesting mix. Here, Martin and Sanae started to hit the booze, but considering all the pills I'm taking, I figured I had better go easy. Of course, we never did eat anything in Heartland, and our meal for the night consisted entirely of the pretzels we got at Wall Street. Eventually, Shiro-chan left to get the train, but it looked like Martin, Sanae and I were in it for an all-nighter. When we left Wall Street, the choice was between small bars (of which I know several good ones in the area) or big clubs. Martin and Sanae were ready to party, so we headed for the latter, specifically Vanilla. Martin knew it; I had never been there but had heard things. I know Terumi had been there several times with friends. Anyway, it was just getting going when we arrived, but it was easy to see it was a different type of place from Air or Yellow or the clubs I usually go to. It had a number of floors with ample lounge space, the music was not quite so loud. And the clothes of the clientele made it clear it was a place for meeting, not dancing. Still, it seemed amusing and I was getting geared for some fun. Sanae, however, was not. The alcohol suddenly hit her and I basically had to help her walk. She was worried Richard would get jealous, and called him constantly; she always gave the phone to me and I had to reassure and apologize. Just then, Martin reappeared and said he had to go because his girlfriend (who lives in America) did not want him out. So, he ditched us and it soon became clear Sanae had to go home. I took her down to a taxi and sent her off. There's no re-entry into clubs here. So I was back on the street, out 3000 yen after 30 mintues, half a whisky, and zero schmoozing. The doorman wouldn't hear my story, and though I wanted to go back, I couldn't make myself cough up more money. Or I figured that if I did, I would be pissed off and in no state to have fun alone. So I grumped off to the last train home.
I made myself feel a bit better with some intriguing IMing, but the results have yet to come in. Today I got up late. Sanae called, Martin mailed, etc. etc. Oh well. I have dinner with Evan, Yusuke, and their respective other halves at 7 in this glorious corner of Tokyo. Until then, maybe I'll hit the Kawabata at a cafe somewhere. Eh, Saturday afternoon.