Is Drinking Optional?

[Outkast]

Undoubtedly, the social bonds and all that good stuff that drinking together creates are important in Japanese society. I intend on doing some serious semi-long term ethnographic fieldwork in Japan, and I have what may be a slight or serious problem...

I do not drink alcohol. Not at all.


Sitting with others while they drink is just fine. But is this good enough? Am I going to seriously affront people if I tell them I don't drink? It's already hard with Americans, so...

I'm just wondering if this is going to be something that strongly puts a damper on my efforts to get close with people.

[DaiButsu]

Not a problem, at all. I too do not drink alcohol, nor do I drink tea or smoke (the trifecta of a Japanese social setting). I spent a little over a year in Japan and never had a problem at any social setting, whether business or personal. In fact, I believe that I was shown more respect for not drinking while in Japan than has ever been the case in the US. You may get a few questions about why you don't drink or how long it's been since you've had a drink, but once the novelty wears off nobody seems to care. Just be prepared to join in with the karaoke whether your drunk or not.

Also, be aware that the custom is to pour drinks for others sitting with you and someone else will pour your drink. It's just a matter of being prepared to politely decline or make sure your glass is filled with water or something else.

[annie]

In more rural areas of Japan where lots of people drive, it's common to have drinking parties where less than half of the people there are drinking. There's always a non-alcoholic option (usually tea) on the table as well. In Tokyo (or anywhere with an extensive public transportation network), you might encounter something different.

When I was here on a University study abroad program about 10 years ago, we were told that if we didn't drink we should say that we were allergic to alcohol. I'm not sure how true that was then, but I'd say it's definitely not true now.

Yes, not drinking will probably affect the ease with which you can build relationships to some degree. So you might need to work a little bit harder to build those relationships. I don't think it will be much of a problem though.

[Outkast]

Okay, I like what I'm hearing. I'm prepared to work a little harder and be a little nicer to make up for it. I'm ultimately aiming for rural and semi-rural areas, so maybe that will make things easier.

[seanolan]

Do realize, though, that in rural and semi-rural areas, some Japanese will certainly try to encourage you to drink, and will ask quite prying questions to find out why you don't drink (one of my friends was asked if her father or mother had died because of alcohol!) Also, I would suggest, if your reason for not drinking is not for moral or medical reasons, that you consider giving a night of drinking in Japan a shot at least once. All jokes aside, it really is a completely different side to the Japanese; one you won't see in any other situation. And, unlike most countries, it is very safe to be drunk here - people watch out for you in rural areas, and there are a lot of provisions to get people home or safe in a hotel room if they are too drunk to see themselves safely home.

Also, drinking and driving is RARE here...the legal blood-alcohol limit here is 0.0 for driving, and the penalties are STIFF, both financially and socially (it's REALLY looked down on here...I have never heard a Japanese person say "He/she is ok to drive.")

Also, (and this is widely known here) Japanese speak better English when drunk, and gaijin speak better Japanese when drunk. No idea why, but it is true.

So, you'll be ok if you don't drink here...but you might want to consider giving it a try. Just my 2 円.

Sean

[Airth]

Also, drinking and driving is RARE here...the legal blood-alcohol limit here is 0.0 for driving, and the penalties are STIFF, both financially and socially (it's REALLY looked down on here...I have never heard a Japanese person say "He/she is ok to drive.")

I have no idea what the official statistics are, but based on what I've seen with my own eyes I'd have to challenge your claim that drinking and driving is rare. It most certainly happens and I'd imagine almost never picked up on by the police. Out here in the country the police like to patrol their set areas and seem very attached to placing traps in the same place time after time. I think it is safe to say that some people are out there taking a calculated risk as I type.

[seanolan]

I have no idea what the official statistics are, but based on what I've seen with my own eyes I'd have to challenge your claim that drinking and driving is rare. It most certainly happens and I'd imagine almost never picked up on by the police. Out here in the country the police like to patrol their set areas and seem very attached to placing traps in the same place time after time. I think it is safe to say that some people are out there taking a calculated risk as I type.

Well, perhaps I have only partied with incredibly responsible people in Japan, but the shock on their faces when I mention that someone would be ok to drive two hours after having a beer (according to my health class way back when, you metabolize alcohol at approximately 1 beer - 1 hour) tells me that it is socially unacceptable. And the penalties for D&D are REALLY stiff here, starting at about 30,000 円 and climbing, plus loss of car and license at a minimum. AFAIK, there is no such thing as a "slap on the wrist" for drinking and driving in this country.

Sean

[Outkast]

Well, to put it another way, how do practicing Muslims make it in Japan? (I'm not, but I'm curious about how religious requirements like theirs are viewed.)

If a person explains that they do not drink out of religious obligation, are they generally accepted for that, or shunned out of the group?

[Airth]

Well, to put it another way, how do practicing Muslims make it in Japan? (I'm not, but I'm curious about how religious requirements like theirs are viewed.)

If a person explains that they do not drink out of religious obligation, are they generally accepted for that, or shunned out of the group?

I really don't think it is a problem these days. I know a few Japanese 'office workers' who don't drink at all, and they don't seem to be shunned from the group or overlooked for promotion. But then saying it is acceptable nowadays is just as much a generalisation as saying Japanese people expect you to drink. In other words, you would probably find the reality somewhere in-between depending on the people you associate with.

[Outkast]

I got you. That makes more sense anyway.

[erawanet]

Are you asking from a purely friend-based perspective or in terms of business? On the latter my point is that is depends on what level you are at and how old you are.

How many senior execs in Asia are non-drinkers???

I have been senior VP with companies in China, Vietnam, and now Thailand. I have visited JP 20+ times and been entertained by similar level execs of big Cos. All drank like fish, and whilst no outward signs were given to those who chose to not partake I just get the feeling that they did not fully take part in the social experiences that build bonds that can lead to advancement.

I know many Japanese here in Bangkok and all live the typical JP executive's life - golf, girls, drink. Younger ones may be excused or just not invited to these activities.

Anyway, I personally salute you not drinking, it is an expensive and unhealthy habit but a lot of business is done when guards are down. Don't mean to be negative, just want to give some benefit of my experiences over the years.

[Outkast]

That's what I've been hearing. It's a concern for me primarily because I will be interviewing and spending time with all sorts of people, and it seems alcohol is Japanese society's social lubricant.

I'll find a way to deal with it though...