2006-08-17

We all had a BON-time.

This past week, most people are given time off from work to go visit their families or ancestors' graves during the O-BON Festival (お盆祭り). Much of my week was spent hibernating in my apartment in an impoverished manner, but I did go out a few times.

There was the mini-blowout with Alex on Saturday, resulting in a slooooow Sunday and then on Tuesday, was the "Return of Mark" (play eerie music here.) First, we (Alex, Yuko & Kaede, a French guy named Michael, myself and Mark & Yuko) went to a 飲み放題/ 食べ放題イ (nomihodae/tabehodai =All you can eat and drink for 90 minutes for 3150¥) at a Beer Garden on the roof of the Mitsukoshi department store. It was a yummy buffet, but the beer was tough to pour, mainly resulting in foam.

Alex escorted his wife and child home and then the four of us went to a little Irish bar with an outside patio (an absolute rarity in Sendai!) Unfortunately, the only view is of a fairly dingy alleyway, but you take what you can get. So we drank an expensive pint and moved on to BBs.
BB's is this little bar in the basement of a larger restaurant, and it often has a stinky odour of sewage. On this date, there was no malodour and only malarkey. It's reasonably priced, with NO cover and one rarity that you can acquire here is Absinthe (アブサン) which is 70-proof, but really doesn't pack the wallop you'd expect (hallucigenically, that is.)

Alex joined us at our next venue, records in hand, for a bit of spinning at Hide & Seek (it's now only 10:00!) Friendly folks, terrific tunes, excellent edibles and hearty Heartland beer.

Mark's Yuko left us to give Mark a night out with the boys and it was off to Shaft for a bit. Fortunately, the owner was at the door, so we got in for free and there were very cool Reggae/Oldies sets happening.

By now, Alex had retired and it was down to Mark and two Michaels. Our next stop was 305, another basement bar (they call it a speak-easy), where the owners like their Elvis music. It's now pushing 3:30am and we hit one more bar, but that one is worth its own post...

No comments:

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails