Drinking in Japan - The rituals

[Hachobori]

Nice to meet you guys!

Whiskey man from the UK, now living in Tokyo. Thought I'd share my knowledge of drinking with the Japanese. Funny bunch, they love the formality of it all, then get too wasted to walk and end up sleeping in the streets. Bodies everywhere. Crazy town.

Here's what I wrote, let me know what you think. http://enterjapan.me/2014/12/08/drinkinginjapan/

[Casual Binger]

Nice to meet you too.

I gotta be honest, I didn't experience a lot of that stuff - mostly cause I didn't drink with workmates much. The only time I remember someone filling up other people's glasses in earnest was at an after work do where the newest & most junior member of staff took it upon himself to keep everyones drinks at our table full. I worked for Nova, so I'm sure it's a lot different if you're drinking with salarimen from a trading compamy. Also, I lived in Osaka, which I think is less formal than Tokyo. Most times when a Japanese friend or date filled my glass for me it seemed to be done ironically & they didn't keep it up. Of course I could be wrong. Maybe it was done sincerely & they just got sick of constantly refilling those little glasses. The only constant I experienced was "kampai" & the occasional "iki iki iki", but again the latter usually seemed ironic.

[Hachobori]

Yeah, when I worked for an Eikaiwa the Japanese staff were really internationalised and the formalities didn't last long.

When I moved to a Japanese company, that all changed. Especially the end of year parties. Man, they'd get so drunk so quickly and then try and keep up the formal stuff... Got a little embarrassing, to be honest.

I think they enjoy drinking with foreigners as they can drop the formalities, which I'm pretty sure are just upheld by the salary-men in positions of seniority. Gotta stay relevant somehow. But yeah, outside of work there is a sense of irony to it. Problem is, once you get in work, you never go drinking with anyone else. Gah.

Time to reach for the bottle.

Lived in Osaka. Past tense. How did you find it? Haven't been out there yet.

[Casual Binger]

Lived in Osaka. Past tense. How did you find it? Haven't been out there yet.

Osaka was my first impression of Japan, so it was my yardstick for a long time. I've visited Tokyo half a dozen times & my impression is that people are more image conscious. Everyone follows a trend of some kind, the women wear shorter, flouncier skirts etc. lots of eye candy. Also Tokyo itself seems more prosperous. I guess because it's the capitol & most companies have their HQs there. In comparison, many parts of Osaka can seem drab. Osaka's main selling point is the people. They seem more boisterous & friendly. Several times in Tokyo I've asked for directions (in polite Japanese) & had people ignore me altogether. This is almost unheard of in Osaka.

Drinking wise, blue collar bars & tachinomiya seem a lot easier to find in Osaka. I know higballs are popular everywhere now, but I got the impression those draft Suntory Kakubin highball dispensers were more common in Osaka. Also, bars & izakaya in Osaka are way louder as folks are pushy & talk over each other. The spruikers are also louder & more in your face, but there're no dodgy Nigerians like you'll find in parts of Tokyo.

[Hachobori]

Yeah, when I was teaching, the best students I had were all from osaka or the kansai area in general. Better homour, look less likely to throw themselves in front of a train. The people of Tokyo are a lot colder than in other parts of Japan, by my experience. They're also a lot less tolerant of foreigners. In other cities, I get stared at, mostly in curiosity. In Tokyo, it's a disapproving glare, usually from old guys. I was considering moving out to Osaka. I don't mind the rough edges, I mean, I live in Ikebukuro now. Doesn't get much rougher.

It's the bounenkai season now. Liver is taking some serious damage, might not make it out of Tokyo.

[mistah willies]

How did Tokyo treat you?

You ok man?


Sounds like, "Toke, Yo" but I 'm a gentelam and would niot post such a thing on the nitarwebss

[mikegj1077]

I served in the Marines and was in Okinawa in 1973. Jap beer is terrible. Ever heard of Oran beer? Nasty. Cheap American import Black Label, 25 cents a can, was better.

[Casual Binger]

Never heard of Oran. You sure it wasn't happoshu? Some of that stuff is a crime against nature, but I find mainstream Japanese beer like Asahi Superdry & Kirin Ichiban to be preferrable to mainstream Aussie beer like VB & Tooheys New.

[brajj]

I would drink like them too if I had to deal with the living conditions and ride to work on a crammed subway train everyday. Japan seems like a high stress place. Is it Japan that has the opium dens?

[drunkenmaster]

I always wanted to go to Japan, experience the Japanese drinking, and of course the food out there.

[Mr. Viking]

dunno, Asahi's good, but I'm a big fan of VB.

Asahi seemed to have a big sales drive recently in Northern Ireland which I think had something to do with the craze for japanese cars, cartoons and culture we had in the '90s

[AntonArkydivich]

dunno, Asahi's good, but I'm a big fan of VB.

Asahi seemed to have a big sales drive recently in Northern Ireland which I think had something to do with the craze for japanese cars, cartoons and culture we had in the '90s

Huh. I learned something new. Any particular reason for the love if Japanese culture?

As far as beers from Asia go, I'd take Japanese beer over, say, Korean, any day. And you can always hit that all-American, Japanese-owned Jim Bean.

[oettinger]

dunno, Asahi's good, but I'm a big fan of VB.

Asahi seemed to have a big sales drive recently in Northern Ireland which I think had something to do with the craze for japanese cars, cartoons and culture we had in the '90s

Huh. I learned something new. Any particular reason for the love if Japanese culture?

In germany the Toyyoda Corolla and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attack_No._1 ruled the 90s. No reason whatsoever.

[oldsmartskunk]

Had a friend fom Japan visiting me. She was quite a drinker (and puker i may add).

[mistah willies]

I was going to make a joke about puking sound like, "bukkake" over there, but I have more class than to mention such a thing here.