Drinking in Japan

The J-List staff had fun last Friday, as we said farewell to a departing employee and hello to a new one. There are certain rules to follow when you’re drinking with others in Japan. First, you never pour your own drink; instead, others pour for you, and you pour for them, which makes drinking together a social event. Pouring your own drink would be tantamount to denying the spirit of the group, and is only done while drinking alone in a bar in windswept Northern Japan, at least judging from the enka songs I’ve heard on the subject. In years past there was probably some social pressure for people who didn’t want to drink alcohol to do so anyway, but these days it’s perfectly acceptable to specify that you’re drinking oolong tea instead of beer. In accordance with the Third Law of Language Learning, one’s ability to speak Japanese actually rises a bit when imbibing alcohol…though it comes crashing down soon enough. After eating and drinking, the J-List staff went out for some karaoke, which is always a fun way to pass a couple hours.

Drinking in Japan is slightly less awesome than this.