Drinking in Japan

How to Avoid Any Cultural Faux Pas

“A civilization stands or falls by the degree to which drink has entered the lives of its people, and from that point of view Japan must rank very high among the civilizations of the world,”

— Yoshida Kenichi

Booze, hooch, sauce — call it what you will but there can be no downplaying the essential role that alcohol consumption plays in Japan. Visitors from countries with more conservative liquor policies will often be surprised at how critical the stuff is to Japanese everyday life. Be it the required drinking with clients and co-workers after hours or getting trashed with friends on the weekend, alcohol is a central pillar of life. Indeed it sometimes seems that the entire society would cease to function without the constant outlet of a good drink.

Compared to some other countries where public intoxication is a criminal offense, Japan’s lax attitudes towards drinking can be startling. For one, it’s just as legal to consume alcohol out in the open as it is to pass out on the street in a drunken bliss. Unlike in the West, convenience stores like 7/11 and Family Mart almost always can be found carrying a selection of beers and mixed drinks…