Erin Goes Global: When in Rome...

In Sendai, I stayed with a great girl named Lauren. She is from Australia and was really helpful in showing me around the city, cooking me dinner, and generally being the awesome person she is. She was also nice enough to invite me out with her for my first nomi hodai, all you can drink! Nomi hodai is EXTREMELY popular in Japan. You pay a certain amount of money (between $10-40 depending on how nice it is--but I don't like nice, I like cheap and alcohol-y) and are given a time frame to drink your little heart out. Most are one or two hours, but you can go longer if you are a seasoned drinker. The reason for the popularity of the nomi hodai is simple: the Japanese like their drink. Love it, in fact. Beer, gin and tonika, sake, lighter fluid...it doesn't matter, someone will drink it! Another reason, however, is the Japanese custom of not entertaining at home. Because Japanese apartments are about the size of the Barbie house you had when you were seven (and is about as well insulated), its very rude to have people over when your neighbors might be trying to sleep. So everyone (and I mean EVERYONE) meets out and about, and enjoys a nice cocktail with friends. It always makes me laugh when I ask students what their hobbies are, because its pretty much guaranteed they will say 'drinking' or 'driving,' but hopefully they don't do them at the same time. Anyway, when you are at a nomi hodai your mission is to drink and fully get your 10 dollars worth, so you ask for several drinks at once, hence my first picture in this blog! Story of my life, I got a little overzealous when it comes to the biru. Anyway, Lauren, and her friends Kouki and Tom took me out and showed me a great time in Sendai. I even met some new friends!