Chapter Three: Sanjikai

If you’ve made it this far into the night, you probably weren’t planning to stop anytime soon. Past midnight all public transportation comes to a halt, and if you decide to take a taxi to your hotel, that’ll easily become your biggest expense of the night. Get comfortable and have fun, my personal recommendation is to go enjoy some karaoke. The night had been a great success and it was time to relax in a more intimate setting with each-other. To Milos, the only correct answer was nomihodai, or all-you-can-drink. We leave our last izikaya and follow Milos around the vibrant warm lights that scatter the street as he scans the buildings for a nomihodai sign. We couldn’t have found a better place than the seven story karaoke business for our last adventure of the night. We reserve a room, grab complementary tambourines and maracas, and head up to the fifth floor. The room is no bigger than a walk in closet, a landline phone hangs on the wall, and a karaoke system flashy enough to have been made by Ferrari fills the rooms with a deep steady hum. Without hesitation, Milos picks up the phone and orders three beers, the first round of many in our nomihodai adventure. I swallow my pride and deliver my rendition of American Pie, Country Roads, and other American songs. Stan did his best to represent the UK and sang his heart out to as much Oasis as he could squeeze in. Milos, after dutifully ordering round after round, decides Kendrick Lamar suits him best. In the midst singing the night away, sharing stories, and downing our drinks, we lose track of time. The phone rings, its the

front desk staff letting us know that our time runs out in 30 minutes. We call it a night and head to the train-station. We walk through a small crowd of survivors all ready to pass out in their beds, some already passed out on the streets, sidewalks, bushes, and phone booths. We go our separate ways and I catch the train to Minato station. The sky turns to a dark blue, the sunrise was imminent and the night had officially come to its end.