The arrival.

So this guy picks me up at my hotel after I have been walking around all day in Fukuoka. My feet really hurt because I have been walking around all day in my dress shoes and they don't fit very well. We go to the station. He is a very nice guy who basically does my job but isn't a native English speaker. We get on the Shinkansen (bullet train) for Fukuyama, although he is only going so far as Hiroshima. It is while we are on the train that he asks me if I would like to go to the Christmas party that they are throwing for our students in Fukuyama. I say "sure, when is it." "6pm," he replies. My train arrives at 5:30. So I go to this party in the same clothes I have been wearing for the last two days to meet my students for the very first time. All at once. The party turned out to be a blast. Oddly, I enjoyed being the center of attention at the party. I don't remember any names. The party started at one bar and moved to another, then another, then another. Good times. I got in at 4am. I think it was the first time I have ever gone out drinking without knowing where I live. Score.