[Sangetsu]

Smoking is widespread, but places where you can smoke are becoming more restricted each year. You can still smoke in many restaurants, but in places like train stations, sports centers, etc., you can only smoke in designated areas, or enclosures. There are restrictions being placed on smoking in public, in many places in Tokyo it is illegal to smoke while walking on the sidewalk. In the area where I work, smoking is very restricted. It is prohibited in all the surrounding buildings, there is a designated smoking area near the entrance to the shopping center, but you can't smoke anywhere else.

Drug use is not tolerated in Japan. It's not nearly as easy to smuggle drugs here as it is to America and Europe, and the police deal quickly with drug dealers. In America it very easy to get a lawyer who will defend you to the end against drug charges. In Japan your lawyer will tell you to plead guilty, apologize, and promise not to do it again. If you are a Japanese citizen, you will then do your jail time, and come out with a serious black mark on your record. If you are a foreigner, you'll be deported and never permitted to return again.

Recently one of the traders at my GF's company was arrested for possessing a small amount of marijuana. He was a British citizen working in Japan on a 3 year assignment. After his hearing in court, his visa was revoked, and he was deported instantly. He wasn't even given time to collect his things from his apartment. This was a man who was earning a 7 figure income while working for a multi-national corporation. He didn't have to go to jail, Japan didn't want to pay for his room and board for however long his sentence might be, so they deported him and banned him from ever returning.