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1989 We are in our initial training phase as pilots for Nippon Cargo Airlines in Tokyo. We have the next day off, so we're on the town for the first time. A dozen of us gather in a little bar across the street from our hotel. We order a round of beer.
The Asahi is served in thick frosted mugs by a smiling young woman. We raise our glasses and...what's the Japanese toast? No one knows. We ask our waitress. "What's the Japanese toast?" She is still smiling, but perplexed. "You know. Toast? What do the Japanese say?" She blushes. She is embarrassed because she doesn't understand. I try and come to the rescue. I become a mime. I raise my mug and point to it, wiggle my eyebrows, shrug my shoulders. These are the well known international signs for "query". Maybe this with another oral prompt. A little louder might work. "WHAT DO YOU SAY?" still making exaggerated pointing motions. I swear I could see the light bulb come on over her head. "OH! THREE-FIFTY!" The price of the beer is 350 yen. I glance around the table. Everyone nods. We raise our glasses and shout. "THREE-FIFTY!" We all drink. For the next ten years, this is our Official Japanese Toast. We later learn the Japanese say KANPAI!, but some we convert to THREE-FIFTY!
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