Oh Boy.... (Part II)

(Warning: This post is pictureless.)

After Friday's night of fun, I had Kempo on Saturday. Usually we have practice from 3-8 every Saturday, so a really intense sort of workout. But this Saturday was the 入門式/nyuumonshiki, a welcoming ceremony for the ichinensei/一年生 or the newcomers in the group. We had to give a self-introduction to the group and then listen to a speech by two of the masters. There was also this ceremonial part (well, it was all pretty ceremonial) where we had to drink rice wine out of these teeny tiny, delicate bowls, which I thought I was going to drop and smash on the ground. Luckily, I didn't.

We had this ceremony in the upstairs gym and then practice led by one of the masters in the downstairs dojo. It was really intense, I'm pretty sure it was the first time I ever broke a sweat during kempo practice. Thankfully, it ended early so we could all go drinking with the masters and such.We all had to dress up for this practice, so we looked like a pretty smart bunch in our suits and for Mia and I, our skirts and sweaters.

If you haven't deduced it by now, Japanese people are completely different when they drink. They take the word "uninhibited" to a whole new level. So during the nomi-kai we all had to talk to the masters. Conversation went well, I mean, it was nothing special, I didn't feel like I made a distinct impression on them. At the end of the party, however, the most senior master came up to me and told me, in Japanese and several times, that I had a good body. It was super awkward and all I could do was smile and say thank you because of the rules of politeness.

Before then, I had never been hit on by an 80-year-old man, but I guess there's a first time for everything.