Rules and etiquette around alcohol

The legal drinking age

The drinking age in Japan is said to be 20. The National Tax Agency asks the alcohol industry to help prevent sales to anyone under 20, so you may be asked to show ID at a register or in a private room.

Drink-driving is treated strictly

It's not just the driver who can be penalized for drink-driving — anyone who lent the car, rode along, or offered the drink can reportedly be held responsible too. The National Police Agency runs campaigns to eliminate drink-driving, and it's widely understood that anyone planning to drive should avoid alcohol.

Drinking outdoors or in parks

Drinking on the street or in a park is banned in some places under local ordinances. That said, during cherry blossom season it's common to see many people drinking in parks as an exception, so it helps to check any signage on site.

On trains

Drinking on a shinkansen or limited express is often fine, but it's considered better manners to avoid it on regular commuter trains during rush hour.

Toasting and pouring for each other

At drinking parties, there's a custom of waiting until everyone's drink has arrived before starting, marked by a "kanpai" toast. People often pour for each other rather than their own glass — some care about not pouring their own, though plenty of places don't mind either way.

If you'd rather not drink

More places now offer non-alcoholic beer and soft drinks, and being pushed to drink has become less common.

Falling asleep after drinking

You may see people who've had too much fall asleep on a train or in a shop — it's said not to be an unusual sight.

Related foods

For the etiquette of all-you-can-drink courses, see Eat-all-you-can and drink-all-you-can etiquette. You can browse nihonshu and shochu/awamori themselves in their own catalog pages.