Fernando's research on drinking culture

Since the day we arrived Japan, I have been doing a lot of research on our topic about drinking culture in Japan. Comparing to Canada, it is much easier to buy alcohol drinks in Japan. Alcohol drinks can be seen on the shelf of seven eleven, Lawson and other convenient stores. Similar to other countries in Asia, the Japanese government control on alcohol and tobacco does not seem to be as strict as in North America. There are even vending machines that sell cigarettes. It is shocking for Canadians to see how open the government’s attitude toward tobacco and alcohol.

      They offer a variety of alcohol drinks, from as low as three percent alcohol soda to more than fifty percent sake and whiskey. The legal drinking age is 20 in Japan. In general, a customer will need to confirm if he or she has reached the legal age when buying alcohol drinks. Despite there is such a law exist and I just reached the legal drinking age, every time I buy alcohol drinks from convenient stores and order drinks in restaurants for ‘research purpose’, the staffs do not ask me to show IDs or other proofs. This could be the reason that I am a foreigner to Japan, and therefore I am assumed to be over legal age. But still, comparing to buying alcohol in Canada, Japanese teenagers seem to be a lot easier to get their hands on alcohol than Canadian teenagers. Although getting alcohol is not a difficult thing to do in Japan, it is rare to see people drink alcohol on the street and public transportations. During the conversation with local Japanese university students, I learned drinking or eating when walking on the street is considered to be rude in Japan, unlike almost everyone holds a cup of coffee when they go to work in Canada. Japanese people do not like to drink and eat while moving around. It is also hard to see people smoke in public despite how easy it is to buy cigarettes in Japan. For most company buildings and train stations, there are some isolated rooms especially for smoking zone. It is a reflection of Japanese motto ‘Not to trouble other people’.

In the rest days of this trip, I will be focusing on drinking culture in commercial occasions and after work parties within coworkers. Like many other relationships, dining and drinking works as social lubricant, will bring people closer.