|
| |
| |
|
 |
*** click to
enlarge any image *** |
Japanese Drinking Culture
 Drinking
is an interesting and important part of Japanese culture. And alcohol is
frequently consumed as an integral part of social as well as business affairs.
In a culture very much bound by protocol and hierarchy, the consumption of
alcohol gives people a much-needed chance to drop their guard and relax a bit,
even in the presence of company superiors and strangers. Japanese
businessmen (and lately, women) are normally expected to participate in frequent
(sometimes several times a week) company parties where alcohol is often consumed
in large quantities. These parties, often held at special bars called
izakaya, are thought to help form and maintain important social bonds within
the company as well to establish and improve relationships with customers.
Anyone who has ever attended such an event knows that food and alcohol are
frequently ordered without regard to sobriety or cost (the company normally
picks up the tab) and that the antics and words of drunken coworkers are always
forgiven no matter how severe or egregious the offence. The party doesn't
normally end until the boss has had enough, and the midnight scramble of drunken
office workers racing to catch the last train home is a common sight in many
urban train and subway stations.
 When
drinking with the Japanese there are a few important rules to keep in mind.
As drinking in Japan is nearly always social, the activities and implements of
alcohol consumption are as well. Beer always arrives at the table in a big
bottle while sake rice wine (consumed in smaller quantities) is served in
a tiny flask. Both are to be shared... Each member of the party will
have their own beer glass and sake cup which may only be filled by
oneself after first pouring for others. In most cases though, someone will
kindly take the bottle or flask from your hand (after you have filled their cup)
to pour for you. Unless your capacity for alcohol is great you should
drink slowly in the presence of Japanese partiers, who are ever eager to refill
an empty glass for another toast of kampai (cheers)! When drinking
with co-workers it is appropriate to let the boss (or most senior member) pick
up the tab. However when drinking with friends everyone should chip in
when the bill arrives. And remember, no tip is required or expected in
Japanese bars or restaurants.
Kurt's Old Fashioned Bottle Opener...
 When
our family first decided to sell our home in California and move to Japan, we
talked often about what we wanted to do when we arrived to start our lives in
Shizuoka. Emily wanted to play with her grandparents while Yumiko talked
about all the great hometown restaurants she wished to visit. At the top
of my to-do list was to go out and buy an authentic old-fashioned Japanese
wood-handled bottle opener! This, in order to more easily open the big
bottle of Japanese beer I planned to enjoy each evening at mealtime! You
see, though I have never been much of a drinker, I have nevertheless always
enjoyed the image of the Japanese father settling down to dinner with his large
bottle of Japanese beer, his small beer glass and handy wooden-handled bottle
opener. Having associated with the Japanese since my teens, this
stereotypical image of the Japanese father was one I had become accustomed to
through media and direct experience, and was resolved to emulate upon the start
of our new life in Japan. Though I did indeed buy my bottle opener and do
keep it handy in our topmost kitchen drawer, I'm afraid that my limited capacity
for alcohol has to-date hindered my efforts to dine like a real Japanese father,
and I am therefore resigned to enjoying bottles of beer only on special
occasions such as with my father-in-law when Yumiko's parents join us for
dinner. But I do have my opener! And I'm always happy to retrieve it
from that topmost drawer whenever dad shows up carrying a couple of bottles of
Kirin under his arm.
|
 |
Click
here
to learn about sake rice wine. |
 |
Please click
here to see
Kurt's bottle opener (well, actually a new opener just like mine) available to
purchase within our eBay store The Old Tokaido. |
|
