How Did I Get Home!?

Since we've been here, we have been out three times with other company employees and spouses.  All three times involved dinner at a local Japanese restaurant/bar and lots of alcohol.  (Also smoke....unfortunately smoking is much more popular here and you don't see the smoking limitations that have become popular in the US.)

There is no "legal limit" of alcohol consumption here so if you have been drinking at all you can't drive for 12 hours.  Japanese people seem to be very conscientious about this although I have read that drunk driving does happen.  Designated drivers don't seem to be the thing to do....  Instead you call (or you stagger up to the bartender and ask him to) a daiko [die-ko] to drive you home.  Daikos are dudes that hang out around the bars and will drive you home in your own car for a small fee.  The daiko will get a taxi to follow him to your house and then the taxi will take the daiko back to whatever alley he waits in between trips.  We've experienced this twice while riding with other couples (the third time we went out I managed to get away with drinking ginger ale and thus was our "daiko") and it's a little strange.

Sorry no photos....hopefully one day I can get some of the "red-light district" of Ota (including the "SexyPubs" aka Japanese strip clubs).  It's pretty seedy interesting. ;)