Kampai!

From negative 10 weather to midnight ramen runs and meeting backpackers to have a little sake all round in the cold, it was a terribly interesting experience; with almost insufferable politeness and technology that would wet most geeks, a cultural gateway experience it certainly did make; TV that is so perturbing and food magnifique leaves one both content and curious.

But I suppose ultimately it's the people one meets that leaves one with the impressions. And such lovely people! Cards and far too much free beer will bring even the most misanthropic sociopaths together. A cornucopia of vice, as it were. But, truly, it never ceases to amaze how a simple swig of plum wine can drive a rabble of strangers into a swashbuckling camaraderie - jamming our way into skimpy bars with our gaijin words, drunkenly exploring strange warrens, and ineffectual flirting with the natives. A harrowing journey of women, wine and winnings in a strange land. So, pull up a chair, friend, and have a swig. Kampai!