I went to a Japanese
Party in my honor. The first party I have been where the majority of
people speak Japanese and only a few didn't. That meant the party was
in Japanese and everyone conducted themselves the way they do a
Japanese parties.
Only four things were clearly different and of interest to my readers.
* First, the conversation was carried on by everyone (10 guests) there. This occasionally happens at American parties but generally only six or fewer guests talk as a group.
* Second, the important part about the group conversation was that, even though most people didn't know each other, each had a connection to another (spouses had worked together once, or were neighbors) the conversation was one long laugh fest. The jokes were an endless series of simple stories (I lived on the same train line as you do) that were turned into puns. Japanese has an unlimited potential for puns because of spelling, phonetic sounds and the same words used in multiple contexts.
* Third, the party started on time and ended on time. When the scheduled time to end arrived, the honored guest (me) stood up and so did everyone else, getting prepared to leave. Everyone left together and the host walked everyone to the corner.
* Fourth, when everyone stood up to leave, they applauded. Applause is expected at a party that guests enjoy.
