My Farewell Party, Part 1

Continuation of my last days in Japan... So the night we returned to Yokosuka from Kanazawa, my friends and co-workers threw a farewell party for us at Banzai, a local Yokosuka izakaya which has two locations. We had been going to one location for quite some time, which was established in a converted, old-school Japanese house. For this party, we went to a second, newer location which featured specifically Okinawa-style food. It was an incredible night, as these photos reveal...








I have to elaborate a little on that last photo. That was taken from the second story party room that we were in. Across the street from Banzai is a well-known chu-hai stand, commonly frequented by young sailors. Chu-hai is basically Japanese grain alcohol mixed with some kind of fruity beverage (really tastes like Kool-Aid and moonshine). It's a pretty inexpensive way to get really messed up, hence a lot of Americans go there and the place has become a notorious epicenter for fights, street crimes, and misdemeanors. Patrons are allowed only to consume their beverages in the direct vicinity of the bar. So, this photo is really funny because you can see the three Shore Patrol guys observing from across the street, waiting to jump in if anybody starts trouble!