Quiet night? Not likely...

This weekend past I had planned to rest and take it easy and recover from the previous two weekend's exertion. From the off it was not to be, although Papa-san's birthday turned out to be a less exhausting event than I thought it would be. Nao-chan's parties usually end up with everyone smashed and hungover the next day. This party was the first I've been to where I was the only foriegner but it was, as usual, hilarious with different guests to before and a lot of laughter from everyone. So being in bed by midnight was a surprise, but a pleasant one. Set me up nicely for Saturday.

On Saturday I got the bus down to Okayama (having first witnessed a preying mantis with it's innards whipping about on the doorstep of my apartment). I met Fiona and we hopped on a train to Aeon in Kurashiki where we planned to watch Charlie and the chocolate factory. The showing we wanted was full so we went for the next one and reorganised dinner plans. A spot of Christmas shopping later (may as well get it done now) and we were enjoying the film (which was amaxing). We made it back to Okayama for 7:30 to meet Andrew and Saddam and we went to the red-light district for a lovely curry and a good catch up. Then it was onto the Red Moon which was empty at first and as we drank more and more it slowly began to fill up. With other JETs. Yay! So the night really got going and pretty soon there was much dancing to be done. Saddam headed off early as she was busy on the Sunday and Fiona headed off home around 1 am, but we just kept on dancing. Julia and I were at one point dancing on furniture in the bar (it's been a long time since I've had the chance to do that) and pretty soon the group was deciding where to move onto, so off we headed to Desperadoes.

When a club's called Desperadoes you can only think one thing, and I've heard many people say that one thing about it, but I really, really enjoyed myself. Although all night long we seemed to see a lot of Russians who probably had disreputable careers, the music was great and lord we were dancing. But the bar closed at three and it was time for decisions. Julia and Dylan headed off home, Wendy and Andrew and Kana wanted to keep on dancing and Adam (with a two hour bike ride home ahead of him) decided it was best to get off. I too left and headed back to Fiona's thinking that getting in at 4am wasn't quite what I'd had planned.

It wasn't quite what happened either. A minute after I started walking down a back alley towards Fiona's I heard a massive bang from the main road which couldn't have been anything else but a car crash. So I ran round to see what had happened and a car had smashed head first into a tree, there was smoke everywhere, the driver's head lolling to one side out of the window and no-one else around. So I try and phone the Police, I tell them what's happened, exactly where we are and tell them we need an ambulance. All in Japanese. And the guy starts asking me where I am. So I tell him again. And he starts asking me questions I don't understand when suddenly I spy a man unloading a lorry in the supermarket next door (which had been there the whole time). I ask him for help and he walks off. And more smoke is coming out of the engine. So, while shouting at the Police again where we are and that we need an ambulance I go to the man in the car and tell him we need to get him out. Fortunately he wasn't trapped or really badly injured so he opened the door and, still talking on the phone I help him out of the car to the pavement. I start trying to flag down cars most of which would rather run me down than stop. By now, probably more because of my screaming and shouting than anything else, a woman has come out of her house and I ask her to talk to the Police and she is very helpful and kind and does so and pretty soon a patrolling car is on the scene and an ambulance has arrived and then soon after the fire brigade turn up. Fortunately the car stopped smoking and nothing more happened. The guy must have shocking whiplash as he banged his head really hard on impact (he had blood all over his face). I hope he was alright otherwise. I had to give a statement to the Police and they were concerned that it may have been a drink driving incident. I ended up getting in at 4:40 and Fiona and I then talked till just gone 5am.

So I got back yesterday at 5:30, feeling strangely not too tired, but rather pleased with the dancing on Saturday night and at least satisfied that I'd been able to help that man in the car (especially as few others seemed willing to get involved). There's never a dull moment in Okayama. Apart from weekday nights...