Shabu Shabu and Karaoke

Thursday night was such a blast!!! Josh (James) took us out to an incredible Japanese dinner and Karaoke wasn't just surprisingly fun... it was an absolute blast! I seriously can't believe how much fun it was! The night went like this:

At 7:00 everyone from the Japanese office met with Josh and we went to dinner at a famous Shabu Shabu restaurant. There were so many courses I couldn't believe it. One of the courses was sashimi (raw fish) served on ice. After my first experience a few days ago I was a bit hesitant, but I guess there is a difference between $20 sashimi and $200 sashimi besides the price. It was delicious. The best part however was the shabu shabu. They serve big slices of beef that are cut paper thin. And they have these containers with coals in the middle that boil water. Shabu shabu literally means swish swish, so you take the beef and swish it for about 3 seconds in the water and it's cooked. You then quickly dip it in a sauce and eat it. Wow! It was a ton of fun and the food was some of the best I've ever had. Incredible service by women in traditional kimonos. Everyone had a great time.

After we were stuffed we went to a karaoke spot in Rippongi. You literally walk into this building and you choose one of 40 rooms where you'd like to Karaoke. The room has a little stage and nice cushioned benches a big screen TV and two microphones. It was incredible. The pictures don't do it justice since the flash makes it look fully lit. It was so much fun. I was worried at first but singing was mandatory and I was sitting next to Josh so I not only took my turn, but everyone took at least three. We were up to about 1:00 am doing Karaoke and sipping on sodas. I have included some pictures below. It was a scream and a half. Everyone sings along, claps and cheers. It was terrific.

I could hardly keep my eyes open on the way home and everyone was tired but in great spirits today at the office. A must experience for anyone coming to Japan. Good times.