Drinking in Japan
 

Hello,

Me and my girlfriend are heading to tokyo on tuesday, and i wanted to know about the attitudes towards alcohol. We are both 19 and from the UK, so we are legally allowed to drink. But obviously the drinking age in Japan is 20, so will we not be allowed to have a beer with dinner? or are places pretty relaxed on the drinking age?

Thanks a lot

george :) x

The drinking age is 20. If caught, you will find out that the Japanese don't tolerate foreigners that break the law there.

A beer at dinner shouldn't be a problem (not that I am encouraging you to break the law). You might have a harder time at pubs, etc.

No one would care, unless you get drunk too much and bother people around you.

You will see that many freshmen at college here, most of them are 18 or 19 years old, drink at Izakaya and bars.
If you look much younger than you are, it might be a problem though.

arigatou! x

As foreigners I think they need to be a little more careful that Japanese college students.

Yes, I agree with you, MMM.As long as you stay at gentle manner, I don't think anything bad is going to happen.However, there is always an exception. Best of luck to calmdowngeorge.

Well compared to the States (where I am from) Japan is extremely lax when it comes to minors and drinking. However, in the past few years I have seen a big increase in signs etc. at convenient stores and places saying "we check ID", though I have never seen anybody get carded. Most likely you will not have a problem buying from stores, and even getting into many bars, and I imagine the worst they will do to you is say sorry I cannot sell that to you, or let you in here. I do not know this for sure since I have never seen that situation play out here, but that would be my guess.

Just grow yourself a little stubble and I doubt anybody will be the wiser.

Yeah I've got myself a beard going at the moment (quite proud of it too :D) bu t yeah, not in any way do I mean get off my head drunk, me and my girlfriend just like a quiet drink in the evenings, we're not really planning to go clubbing and whatnot, thanks for all the advice, hopefully I'll be fine!

George :)

I look like I could easily be underage, and I am always carded in the US. I even had one place who was certain my ID was fake, and I had to produce my military ID to back it up.

The only place I have ever been carded in Japan is when I went to a bar near a base, given the junior enlisted that are not of age. When the bouncers and bartenders are Americans too... Well you get the picture. But I have never been carded anywhere else, and the general presumption is if you're here, by yourself, then you are of age (minors don't travel alone! gasp!) and not a single one of my underage friends who tried had issues, as long as they didn't wave the tourist flag around, I think the barkeeps thought they were English teachers, and thus, definitely of age.