Welcome back party with the teachers

It was just shortly after the school year started that the annual "something or other" party was held.  The teachers who had moved onto other schools came as well as the new and current ones.  It was great to see everyone after spring vacation and to see how things were going for the ones who left.  The food was better this time and the drinks more plentiful. 

The woman on the left, Ueda-san, used to sit next to me in the teachers room and is a great hoot of a woman.  The new lady isn't much fun....

After a few hours of drinking, eating, and schmoozing, a bunch of the male teachers and I went out to an izakaya near the hotel the party was held at.  It was an izakaya restaurant that had an interesting menu item.  For a few dollars you could take as many clams as you could with one hand.  If you could get a certain amount, perhaps 15, they would be free.  It was addictive!  Everyone including me tried a few times and no one could do it. We just ended up with way too many little clams to eat.