Forum - View topicAnswerman - Do Japanese Businessmen Really Drink As Much As I've Heard?
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Walkbrass
Posts: 5 |
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There's quite a few things about Japanese corporate culture that I don't think I could stand... But, being from Wisconsin, I gotta say that drinking is definitely not one of those things.
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MarshalBanana
 Posts: 5347 |
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Well in the British isles it dates back Roman times, and possible before. Before a battle, they would all get drunk, taunt each over to get themselves riled up, then go out to fight. This proud tradition is still upheld to day in many busy cities on a Friday and Saturday night. |
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BadNewsBlues
Posts: 5979 |
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With the occasional riot during or after a football game? |
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Lemonchest
Posts: 1771 |
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These days we only really do that when playing in other countries. |
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BadNewsBlues
Posts: 5979 |
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Hmmm makes sense. |
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Kadmos1
 Posts: 13567 Location: In Phoenix but has an 85308 ZIP |
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Because I take medicine for my Asperger's and ADHD, my (im)mature self can't really handle alcohol that often. Since I turned 21 almost 8 years ago, I have consumed alcohol under 10 times.
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Gasero
 Posts: 939 Location: USA |
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I don't participate in or enjoy the celebration of inebriation through excessive alcohol consumption. Whether one is in the Eastern hemisphere or Western hemisphere of Earth I think it is a bad activity.
I really do not understand the hype. If you feel the need to be inebriated in order to enjoy something...it likely isn't enjoyable in the first place. |
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Ninjajake12
Posts: 118 |
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I disagree. Things can be really fun, but self-conscious individuals (like myself) sometimes overthink what they're doing and how other people see them to have fun. To help take my mind off of that kind of nonsense, drinking a few beers here and there can make something much more enjoyable. I'm not talking about getting black-out drunk, but I am talking about getting loose and maybe borderline buzzed. |
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yaki-udon
Posts: 83 |
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Genetically we are less tolerant to alcohol than Westerners. For example, whenever I drink a bottle of whiskey (700ml), I feel awful the next morning. I usually drink a bottle of shochu (720ml) a day. Shochu is stronger than wine, but weaker than whiskey, and I believe it's the healthiest alcoholic drink in the world.
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CandisWhite
Posts: 282 |
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The problem is not that the drinking occurs( though the amount and type of alcohol plays a part in that idea; Excessive drinking is a sure way to ruin your health and looks) but that refusing to drink is seen as offensive: That attitude is what's offensive.
My mother works for a company that has a close working relationship amongst all of the locations and the head office. There have been many off-site office parties over the years and, as there are many races and religions working for the company, the attitudes towards food and drink are wildly different: They usually choose places that can accommodate everybody; Nobody is seen as rude or lesser for refusing ham or beef or alcohol or sugar, or consuming them. It's actually quite the opposite: YOU are the rude one for forcing people to live against their beliefs( when they hurt no one else), or to endanger their health, and are veering dangerously into violating Human Rights territory( which your HR department will be glad to inform you of, prior to you playing the douche). Change doesn't come by putting your head down; You need to stand up for yourself. I'm not too fond of work cultures that tell people to "Sit down and Shut up", regardless of what country the business is from or in, and modern leadership consulting will tell you that's one of the surest ways to torpedo a truly productive workplace. ( Google Sheryl Sandberg and Fred Kofman.) Oh, and the company that was mentioned above is owned, and run by, a man born and raised in a Middle Eastern country where the " My way or the highway" attitude is practically a commodity: A good businessman can learn and grow. |
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Wildcat17
 Posts: 54 Location: Portugal |
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What about teenagers? I've never, ever, watched an anime or something where teenagers drink. There are a few exceptions when teenagers drink by accident, but not on purpose. Hell, teenagers don't even go out at night in anime! How is it in real life?
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leafy sea dragon
 Posts: 7163 Location: Another Kingdom |
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Wow! Thanks for answering my question! As is probably obvius by now, I am a teetotaler. Part of the reason for this (and why I decided flat-out against consuming alcohol for non-medicinal purposes) is because an uncle of mine was almost killed in a drunk driving accident. He incurred some brain damage and never fully recovered, though you can't really tell unless you know him intimately. That's also why I get quite offended at DUI accidents.
I was wondering about this issue of alcohol and work because it sounds like drinking alcohol is a necessary part of foreign companies to do business with a Japanese one. I suppose if a company head were in such a position, they could send someone who DOES drink over to Japan, but then there'd be another problem if they send some people overseas to meet with important people from a company and said important people don't drink.
I'd imagine teaching must be one of the most stressful jobs, as is any occupation where you must deal with large groups of children or teenagers all day. Good to know that they don't have much of a problem with teachers who don't drink, but I wonder if that's because your friend is in specifically a program meant for foreigners living in Japan. In turn, I'd wonder if people who run these programs know that alcohol is not as acceptable in some other countries and would give foreigners leeway with that.
I would love to see that someday if it's been translated into English. That's actually surprisingly insightful, the sort of knowledge you could only get by being in the United States for an extended period of time.
I hope it's not like this with all situations, and that there must be some work environments where they respect you for not drinking. At the very least, among those who DO drink, based on what I've seen, the food in Ireland has a higher fat content than the food in Japan, so alcohol gets absorbed slower and it takes more to get drunk. (It's why western bar food tends to be predominantly very fatty foods.)
Yeah, that's how it was for me in college, as it turned out to be a moderate party school. However, as it turned out, I could still hold interesting conversations, so it was really a matter of people seeing how interesting you are as a person while they're drunk. I know not everybody can be that understanding, however, and will mark everybody who doesn't drink as a prude. It must suck for people with alcohol allergies, as I'm sure they wouldn't believe such an allergy exists either.
Hmm, interesting. No one really checks if the glass is actually going down? I guess the corollary to that is that there probably ARE a number of teetotalers in Japan but that few people in Japan will admit to it. I read through Wikipedia's list of teetotalers recently and didn't notice a single Japanese name on the list, which is why I asked this question. |
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Ali07
 Posts: 3333 Location: Victoria, Australia |
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What anime have you been watching? 
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Tenchi
 Posts: 4471 Location: Ottawa... now I'm an ex-Anglo Montrealer. |
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You're not really supposed to drink the entire bottle in one sitting. I'm a big fat westerner and I don't think I could drink more than 100ml of whiskey in one sitting without vomiting it up immediately after. Not that I was ever a whiskey person, it tastes like what I imagine airplane fuel might taste like. I far prefer vodka and even then only perhaps 50ml or so at the most mixed with fruit juice in one sitting. |
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jutsuri
Posts: 49 |
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The last time I was in Japan I was riding a train at night and one of my friends pointed out an older salaryman who was yakking into his overcoat. I kid you not, he emptied his stomach into his jacket and then just stood there holding it. I was quite surprised that nothing dribbled out.
My experience as a teetotler in Japan was that when I would tell people I didn't drink because I don't like the way alcohol tastes almost everyone's response was (roughly translated): 'Bummer for you." No stigma or anything, just sympathy. I attended parties and just ordered tea, and no one had any problems with it. |
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