Chapter 3: You're Never Alone in El Sol

The evening started out with me trying to find El Sol, the local bar in Kamioka. I'd only gone there once with Warren, so I couldn't remember exactly where it was, only that it was on the other side of the river, in the downtown area.
After some searching, I eventually asked a man in the street. He had no clue what I was talking about, which didn't surprise me(Warren warned me that almost NO ONE in town knows the bar even exists, except perhaps the coolest locals and gaijin), but he stopped a taxi - actually STOPPED a taxi - and asked the driver. The man in the back seat was drunk, but he knew the place, and, inspired by my gaijin presence, said, "You! Come!" in English. With much polite hesitation and thanks, I got in the taxi and they took me to El Sol.
Once there, I found a seat at the bar and chatted with Keiko, the bartender. Keiko is somewhat famous among the Kamioka gaijin because she can speak English and a little Spanish as well. She's also quite pretty, and so is always being hit on by the local barflies.
Almost immediately, two guys joined me at the bar. They bought me a beer, and started asking me all sorts of questions: where are you from, how do like Japan, would you join my soccer team, and do you want another beer?"(this one at least three times) One thing lead to another, and I soon had two new best friends and dangerously low inhibition. Toora-san is my age, and Takushi("sounds like `taxi`" is his favorite joke) is 31, and hopelessly in love with Keiko.
They bought me drink after drink as the night wore on, and we talked endlessly about movies, sports, and of course, our dreams. Toora-san taught me the finer points of Japanese alcohol, and every now and then reminded me that I had promised to join his soccer team. Keiko successfully dodged every one of Takushi's come-ons, and I was having a good time. Not only that, I noticed that, since my two new friends had joined me, I had not spoken a lick of English. Blame it on the booze.
Takushi-san(whom Toora-san assures me is quite rich) payed for my drinks and even my dinner, and just when it looked like we would turn in for the night, they invited me out for ramen(and more drinking). I am quickly learning that this is the Japanese way; to have several parties one after another, and that refusal is impossible.
Ramen it is, then.
At the restaraunt, Takushi and Toora tried explaining to me how to subtley decline an offer without being impolite. They did this while offering me more beer.
I can't really remember whether or not I ever got the hang of it...