Kanpai Japan

Kanpai Japan

That night became a little blurry quite quickly. We filled our stomachs with unknown ingredients, the novelty of these tastes overpowering any rational choice for us to stop. We sat on the floor surrounded by half ripped and consumed bags of junk food. It was the worst binge eating, I had ever punished myself with (yes I say punished, because stretching my stomach that thin was painful)! That night's binge surpassed the breakup food binge, Thanksgiving dinner binge, or just an ordinary visit to my Grandma's house binge, by a landslide! Our throats were not left dry either, we drank one, tall fruity, alcoholic substance after another. We quickly realized that what we could drink back home did not translate into what we could drink in Japan.

Many people have the fictitious view that Japanese people can't drink and may I be the one to tell you-They can! Japanese people love to eat, but no meal isn't complete without beer or sake or shochu or some combination of all three and then some! Even after you finish at the restaurant, the roads are filled with vending machines, not just filled with refreshing fruit juices but also alcoholic beverages.

I remember my brother telling me a story about his time in Japan and the rumors he had heard about being allowed to drink in public. He wasn't sure what to make of it and didn't want to be the one to test it. He told me that one day, mid afternoon, he was sitting on the train heading to work, when he saw a petite, Japanese elderly woman hobble past him, take a seat, and crack open a beer and take a swig. At that moment, he said he knew it was ok for him to do.

Someone's Gradmother enjoying a tall one!

So how is alcohol tolerance so well endeavored over here? Aside from the accessible vending machines, 24/7 convenience stores supplying  liquor and being able to drink in public there is also what is known as 'Nomihodai', translated to "All-you-can-drink" restaurants and bars. You sit back with you and a group of mates and bask in yet another amazing aspect to Japanese society, drinking cheaply until your most likely sloshed. A usual 'nomihodai' costs about  ¥2500 (~$28 USD) and last about 3 hours. Being drunk in public is also not as shamed as you would think, as there are many other things you might think of as insignificant here, such as blowing your nose, that is quite offensive. Having been on trains late at night returning from work, I see the usual flux of inebriated business men, stumbling along without anyone batting an eyelid.


Noises of tin cans colliding paired with shouts of 'Kanpai'-cheers', giggles and another  language, resembling English being drunkenly muttered back and forth,  ragged on well into the night.