Konichiwa or Konbonwa

I'm so excited! My friend Mika from Osaka is coming to visit just after Christmas. She'll be here for seven days and I have to start researching fun Richmond things for us to do. This photo of us was taken at a mutual Canadian friend's going away party or Saiyanora Party as they're called. It was in an izakaya which is a kind of bar/restaurant which serves a lot of alcohol but mini dishes of food. You usually go with a large group of people and order a bunch of dishes. I went to a work party once where we had to sit on the floor on pillows on tatami mats. It was kind of cool, but in every izakaya you go to, the wait staff always kneel down next to you to take your order. I'm pretty sure I ate all the maki sushi on this occasion. I love that stuff. We were in an area called Umeda is looks like the epicentre of all that is garish and neon in Japan. It was awesome.