“Hey Mike, where’s my beer” Andy muttered as he searched through the plastic convenience store bag. It was Saturday night and a group of us had gotten together by the river that guards the east side of Kyoto. The riverside beneath Sanjo (Third Street) bridge is a hot spot for Saturday night activity and with the beautiful summer weather the area was crowded with throngs of young people dressed for a good time. We had just finished a beer run and had apparently miscounted. “No worries” I chuckled and tossed him the unopened one in my hand. The store was only a minute away and once the man started drinking you didn’t want to get between him and liquor.
Suddenly I felt a tap on my shoulder and I turned around to face a salary-man aged guy holding a bit sized bag of Oreos towards me. “Here you go, enjoy” he said putting the bag in my hands and walking away. In any other country you might be suspicious of such an action, but here in Japan it’s nothing strange. I sat down again holding the bag trying to decide whether to open them and eat them or to save them for later on the inevitable drunk train ride home (if it was going to be the last train tonight or the first train tomorrow, I wasn’t sure yet).
Out of nowhere my other buddy Joe produced an unopened bottle of still cold Corona and handed it to me. “You should have been here a few minutes ago when he gave us this.” Apparently the guy and his friend had had a bit too much to drink and decided to share the wealth before heading home. I popped the top with my trusty key chain bottle opener and put it to my lips. “I guess I don’t have to get another beer, at least not yet.” Only in Japan.
