When in Rome, do as the Romans do. When in Japan, head to the nearest bar and get drunk out of your mind with your friends.- Me
It seems that the one activity I spent the most time performing in Japan was moving a beer glass from the table to my mouth. Beer has become a staple part of the Japanese “diet”, and I believe it’s important to be able to make the right decision when it comes to trying it out.
Ideally, of course, these beers should be consumed in Japan, simply because over there they are served ice cold in huge glasses. If you can’t do that, try to get it served to you as cold as you possibly can. If you really want to enhance the taste, make sure it’s a warm evening and you are exhausted. Don’t drink any other alcohol beforehand because that first drink of ice cold brew is what you’ve been waiting for all day. Anyway, without further ado;
1. Makers Of Beer
The three big players are Kirin, Sapporo and Asahi. The fourth is Suntory but they’re not so great so I’m leaving them out. No matter where you go in Japan you’re going to be able to get at least one of these. Indeed, when ordering beer, it’s normal to say “生ビール” (Nama-Biiru) which literally means “raw beer”, and then sit back and wait whilst one of these delicious beverages is brought to you.
“But Mike! I demand choice over which beer I receive! I shall not be blindly handed Kirin when I desire Asahi!” I hear you cry. Well firstly, if you like Asahi more than Kirin there’s something wrong with you but more importantly; tough luck. I’m not sure if it’s a deal the companies have with the bars or if it’s just luck but usually each place only serves one type of beer.
Anyway, despite my blatant bias towards Kirin, I have some very important findings to share. It has come to my attention, after many hours of painstaking experiments, involving complex graphs, Bunsen burners and some mild splashing, all of these beers are basically the same.
Now before you start raging, I’m not saying they taste the same. They don’t, and I think the subtle different is probably really obvious if you’re some obsessive beer nut. You’ll just have to let this one go - the beers are all 99% identical.
2. How To Serve
These beers need to be two things; really really cold and really really big. There’s not much to add here, and the various places you can buy them usually do a good job with this. If you go to a party, you’ll be given 4-5 large bottles of beer and expected to pour them out for the other people around the table, and they will do the same thing to you. Be warned - if you finish your glass, a crafty Japanese person sitting near you will refill it, often without telling you. I’ve got more than slightly drunk a few times thanks to one particularly sneaky Japanese teacher I used to work with who was incredibly skilled at filling glasses silently.
3. When To Drink
Right, this is the most tricky part and is the reason I wrote this update. Basically, you can’t just sit down and start a-chugging if you’re at a party. Firstly, whoever is the most senior, normally a man, will give a short speech about how glad he is everyone is here and other boring things. This step can last anywhere between 11 seconds, if he’s drunk, and 8 minutes. There are two reasons he might give a long speech - it may be an important event, or he may just hate you. Regardless, step two is the same as “Cheers!” in English, except you say かんぱい(Kanpai!) Then it’s drinking time. Again, don’t just down it all as someone will refill it, and soon you shall become drunk, and many will derive humour from your intoxicated situation.
So there you are then. Getting drunk in Japan is very easy, and I advise you do it often. Drinking with your colleagues is considered incredibly important, as it serves as a bonding exercise. Just be wary - the more senior members of your business have some sort of magical power over the younger employees, dictating how much they can drink, and they will automatically assume this power over you. Just let it come. How bad can the hangover be, anyway?!