Mr. Y

As I was relaxing on Sunday night, half asleep watching a movie, I noticed I had four missed calls and a text message. Who else could it be? Joel's text message read "wheres my wingman." Although I was not really in the mood to go out that evening I decided I would go for moral support as I could tell Joel just wanted to have a good time and throw back a few beers. I asked my roommate for directions to a "280" bar where everything, food and beverage, is only 280, hence the name. We got directions and off we went.

We arrived safely at the bar after drinking two beers on the way there. Being able to drink in the street is quite an unusual feeling and some part of me still feels as though I am a criminal. Nevertheless, we entered the bar (mind you, it is not really a bar as an American would view a bar but more of a restaurant, how it got the name 280 bar I do not know) and had a seat at the counter.

Before too long a Japanese man came up to us and asked if he could join us. Well, knowing Joel and I, you probably know what we said. I forget his name but he will forever be remembered as Mr. Y from this point forward. So, Mr. Y informs us that he is the president of Nitro Evolution and in my opinion, so begin the lies. We have a few drinks and I notice a scar on his hand so I asked him what it was from. Mr. Y informs us that his scar is from the Yekuza, better known as the Japanese mafia. He then proceeds to pull up his sleeve and show us to scars on his arm, apparently from bullet holes. At this point, Joel and I ask for the bill. Something to note - in Japan, they do not break up the bill, they pay by the table. So, if someone in your group orders a $20 steak and you get a $5 burger, the bill comes as $25 and from what I gather, you are supposed to split it equally. So, our bill comes and its $45 or 4500 yen. I throw in a 1000 yen because Joel owed me two beers and I only had 4 to drink the whole night. So, i figured I was good and didn't worry about it too much. Joel is half yelling at me in the bar, telling me how we don't want to be in debt to the Yekuza. As we were walking out, I thought it said we still had 500 yen left on the tab. So, from this point, I thought we skipped on the bill with a guy in the Japanese mafia. Turns out, I was wrong but more on that later.

So, we try to say goodbye to our new friend, Mr. Y, but he asks us where we live. We tell him Shin Osaka and ask him where he lives. He informs us that since he is the #2 mafia man in Shin Osaka, he can stay anywhere. Joel then asks him how he is getting home. His personal driver, of course, what were we thinking. So, I asked for a ride, only to find out that his driver doesn't like Americans and would cut us if we got in the car. Fair enough, we'll walk. As we walk along a little more he tells us his bodyguard is following... Joel and I turn and stare. He tells us not to make it obvious and continue walking. Next, we pass a nice hotel and he says he can stay there for the night. So, I ask to see the place. Sure enough, Chinese mafia live there and they don't like Americans either so surely we would be stabbed. Fair enough, I don't really need to see the place. At this point, we are trying hard to lose this guy and just go home. He follows us back to our place and Joel has had enough. He tells this guy he is scary. Mr. Y wanted to come up to Joel's room and "see it." So, we left him at the entrance and started to walk up the stairs, sure to not take the elevator. After about two steps, I took my sandals off so he wouldn't be able to hear us and Joel and I were whispering back and forth. This story does not do justice to the adventure and fear we faced but I hope you find it humorous, looking back on it, I know I do.

So, the next night I come to find out the true story, at least from Joel of what happened at the bar. Perhaps for me, this just added to the joy of the evening. So, Joel proceeds to tell me that he ended up throwing in $40 dollars into the pot for a total of $50 and gave it to Mr. Y. So, not only did Joel end up paying for Mr. Y's drinks, he also paid him $5 to drink with us. That a boy Joel. He asked me if I knew what happened and I told him no and after hearing the story, I just lost it. I could not stop laughing and laughing. That is all, hope you enjoyed the story and it made you laugh. Mom and Mama Fred, I hope it doesn't worry you too much.