La vida loca

Proving again that our expat life is la-la land, Blaine and I went to a black-tie "casino night" benefit last (Friday) night, the first time Blaine has worn a tuxedo since our 2002 wedding. The photo could be better, but, hey, it's evidence!

We were guests of some Tokyo-Seattle friends whose company paid for the table at the Westin Tokyo in Ebisu. After supper, I had a superfun spin at the benefit blackjack tables, especially after Blaine arrived to end a long streak of losing hands. I'm the second pile of orange chips from the right - worth about $7.


I've never gambled for real, and I'm clueless about the odds of this or any other game. Fortunately, there was a very bossy, busty American party guest at the table who claimed that she'd been a dealer in Louisiana. (Alas, no photo.) Somewhat drunkenly, but not irrationally, she repeatedly overruled me and everyone else about when to "hit" or not - and she was right most of the time. I more than tripled my $30 in chips by 10:30pm, when we flaked out and bet it all on a losing hand before hopping in a taxi to go home.

Procrastination

A very pleasant game to waste time: Obechi.

Japanese New Year

It's very quiet in Tokyo during the week of the New Year. Offices close and many people leave the city to visit family elsewhere.

Last weekend, while the city was still mostly empty, we wandered over to Roppongi Hills to find a super-dynamic taiko (drumming) performance. Taiko is very Japanese in its orderliness.

For some stupid reason, I shot my taiko video sideways and can't rotate it, but here it is anyway - look sideways!



There were also some favorite Japanese games set up, which I assume are favorites to play during the New Year's holiday.

A group of girls were taught by older women to juggle little beanbags. In the foreground, you can see the girls' shoes, which were removed and neatly arranged before the girls stepped onto the tarp; this is a common sight in Japan when you go on picnics.


Here, a half-dozen boys competed with small, polished spinning tops. They used string to hurl the tops onto a drumlike table, then cheered as they watched the tops bump one another off the side until one top was left.