Last night we attended the 2005 St. Andrews Charity Ball at the Hilton in Shinjuku for the first time, and it was definitely one of the best nights out this year. A blend of Scots, semi-Scots (including me, as I’m a ‘half’ Scot), descendants and just people who like the Scottish culture of having a good time.
The night consisted of the presentation of, and address to, the Haggis, a great meal, some traditional dancing demonstrations, some arranged dancing, and a lot of free form drunken dancing.
Generally I think all of the 150 odd guests had a great time, though for me, the best bit was the several plates of haggis I could consume as it seems a lot of other people were put off by the description.
Dancing in a kilt though is not that easy as I learned at my wedding, but after a fair amount of the very tasty red wine on offer I found it was a little easier, though what it looked like from the side lines I don’t know.
What I do know is that at 2am, a crowd of kilt clad drunks staggering out of the hotel and trying to flag down taxis was definitely something to witness, and certainly cleared the taxi rank.
The night (along with others) is organised by the local St. Andrew Society, so if you fancy a bit of tartan and a few drinks it’s definitely the place to be.