My friend and I are going to Japan together this summer (we are both 18), and I read that the enforcement of checking IDs when purchasing alchohol is quite lax, and that if you look like you are 20, then you are 20.
Is this true? Would I be able to buy alchohol at a convenience store, order it at a restaraunt, or go into a nightclub without being carded? Thanks.
Seriously, cool. Its weired for me being in the UK to go to another contry where you have to be 21 to do anything, its 18 over here. A friend who went last year said he got a fake ID, is it worth getting one cos I want to go to some clubs and karaoke bars.
Dude they hardly check ID's of Japanese there, let alone foreigners. I wouldn't waste your money on fake ID's. Wont be much good anyway, if a place DID card you (rare rare rare, I'm a baby face to end all baby faces and after two years in Japan and a lot of booze, I was never carded once) they will ask for a passport or gaijin card, both things you do not want to have fake.
Buying booze in the convenient store is pretty easy. Getting into clubs these days is a bit trickier. They've gotten quite a lot of heat from the cops the last 5 years, so some clubs require an ID check. There's tons of bars you can get into though.
i've been to a few bars and bought a LOT of alochol, and never carded at all, I'm 19, but alot of the purchasing was done when I was 18. I'm from BC, so the legal age is 19, so I don't feel too bad. If you really want to get drunk, most vending machines let anyone buy alochol from them, I've seen some that require a sake card, but they seem to be uncommon
Whats a gaijin card, obviously something to do with being a foigner. Er... Buying beer from a vending mashine or shop is all verywell (had a friend who used to get alcohol from shops for his dad when he was 14), but I want to go to some clubs. How often do they ask for your passport or *gaijin* card?
Whats a gaijin card, obviously something to do with being a foigner. Er... Buying beer from a vending mashine or shop is all verywell (had a friend who used to get alcohol from shops for his dad when he was 14), but I want to go to some clubs. How often do they ask for your passport or *gaijin* card?
A Gaijin card is an ID card that every non-Japanese living in Japan must have on them at all times. If your are holidaying you must have your passport at all times.
Did you read my post lad? Hehe I said in two years, and a lot of drinking, I was never carded anywhere.
Well, I guess it isnt that hard, then for me. Being 17, and looking like Im in my late 20's-early 30's. I probably could get bashed without being carded
I'm a bit too old to get "carded" but I've never ever seen anyone checked anywhere at anytime in the Kansai area. I've been out with underage people at izakayas and it was no problem although we were in a group. You would have to look super super young to get stopped at the door. Don't forget we look several years older than the average Japanese the same age. Also most places want the business and they don't want the hassle of checking IDs of foreigners, basically they don't care unless you cause a problem.
This thread is only a few months older than my JREF account
Technically, when you go to a conbini and buy alcohol, you have to push a button that says you're over 20 and are legally able to make the purchase. If you look confused (and sometimes just automatically) the clerk will probably push it for you.
So clearly, it's a foolproof system that no one could possibly circumvent. Good luck kids!
...
Seriously though, alcohol is largely a waste of time and money, and probably stunts your development (your brain isn't done forming until you're 25, after all). If you feel like you need it to have a good time, consider that an opportunity for reflection.
Technically, when you go to a conbini and buy alcohol, you have to push a button that says you're over 20 and are legally able to make the purchase. If you look confused (and sometimes just automatically) the clerk will probably push it for you.
So clearly, it's a foolproof system that no one could possibly circumvent. Good luck kids!
...
Seriously though, alcohol is largely a waste of time and money, and probably stunts your development (your brain isn't done forming until you're 25, after all). If you feel like you need it to have a good time, consider that an opportunity for reflection.
Alcohol has its dangers, and I'm a very moderate drinker (probably about 3-4 drinks a week), but I've always found that a beer or two (literally) can enhance a good time, such as watching a football match, or take the edges off at the end of a difficult day. Last night I went to a pop concert, had orange juice during the concert, met some great people, and then we all sat around outside the venue in Ebisu and bonded over beer. It was delightful and the beer went down beautifully. Treated with respect (for example, not touching it if I'm already thinking negative thoughts), alcohol has been something positive in my life.
My friend and I are going to Japan together this summer (we are both 18), and I read that the enforcement of checking IDs when purchasing alchohol is quite lax, and that if you look like you are 20, then you are 20.
Is this true? Would I be able to buy alchohol at a convenience store, order it at a restaraunt, or go into a nightclub without being carded? Thanks.
Many veterans have replied correctly, but I simply could not stop myself from tapping on the keyboard.
You will have no issues buying either from a convenience store or supermarket (cheaper). No one will ask you anything. The only thing is that in a convenience store, the screen would flash a message for you to confirm whether you 20 or over before displaying the price. You will just have to verify by touching the button on the touch screen
Moreover, most foreigners look elder than Japanese of the same age. I still remember that at a restaurant at the Hawaii airport, they coolly served beer to me but refused to serve it to my wife who was 31 at that time without checking her ID
lol this is incredible. I googled my username, wondering what kind of stuff from the past I could dig up and found this thread... I can't believe people revived it.
I indeed made it out, and am here to give you all a detailed trip report nearly 20 years later, with photos! I took a lot more of course, but most were just the usual shots of buildings and streets, nothing very interesting.
To give some context, my best friend at the time were huge anime nerds and had spent high school taking Japanese classes and learning about the culture. I'm Japanese by descent but never grew up knowing much about my heritage (3rd generation, parents very westernized). For both of us, it was a kind of pilgrimage, not to mention a trip to celebrate graduating high school. We stayed for the first few days with my uncle's friend Glen, who lived in a small house in the mountains of Zushi, Kanagawa. He ran an English cafe out of his home, which was located beside a little shrine and a graveyard (He said he was able to rent it for cheap because of this). Glen provided us with a soft landing to our arrival in Japan, showing us how things worked and taking us on a day trip to Kamakura. We then set off on our own for Tokyo, where we stayed in Taito at the Taito Ryokan, which is basically a little hostel inside a Showa or Taisho era house. It's still there today and I always get a kick when I happen to walk by it during my subsequent visits to Tokyo.
This trip was filled with the most incredible memories, but one of my favorites came on the first night of Tokyo when we, reassured by the information from this very post, bought our first drinks from the convenience store (beer for my friend, lemon chu-hi for me), and hit the streets late at night to explore around our accommodations. Of course we had no smart phones or gps, so everything felt a lot bigger and more mysterious then--we didn't really know what was close by or what to expect. We were tipsy from both the drinks and the elation of actually being in Tokyo, and we turned a corner and came face-to-face with the grandeur of Sensoji Temple, completely empty after dark. I don't think I'd ever seen anything so impressive before in my life. I will never forget sitting on those huge stone steps beneath that massive lantern, sipping our drinks and talking about how cool it is to be in Japan.
We toured Tokyo for a week and saw the usual sights--Shibuya crossing, Shinjuku, Harajuku, Akihabara... The best part was just exploring without much aim, wandering and talking about whatever stuff we cared about back then at 18. Then we took the bullet train to Kyoto .
I still remember how different that city felt from Tokyo, and how much calmer I felt there. It was definitely not the Kyoto of today, with packed tourist crowds. We went to Kiyomizu and there was hardly anyone there. Of course, it was also the rainy season. Some of the hardest rain I'd ever experienced up until that point. My shoes got soaked and I wasn't able to get them dry until I put them into a coin dryer. I remember us seeking shelter from a downpour under the eaves of Nanzenji temple, and the way those huge wooden beams smelled in the humid summer air. One of my favorite memories in Kyoto was when we caught a bus to go back to the city center, but after 30 minutes or so we realized we were actually heading up into the mountains. We got off at this misty bus stop straight out of a Miyazaki movie, with not a soul around. We were the only patrons inside a riverside restaurant where we ate noodles with a view of the rushing river below, and then walked around the mountain road seeing what we could find. Stumbled upon a couple of temples (after the fact concluded they were Jingo Ji and Saimyoji) and explored on our own. The only others we encountered up there were the people who ran the temples. It was a lesson that the best travel experiences often don't come from planning, but from mistakes made.
And to that point, during the last part of the trip, we received word from Glen that one of his friends and colleagues had a son who was our age, living in Kyoto and training to be a Buddhist monk. Arrangements were made for us to stay at the temple his grandparents managed. I was nervous to deviate from our plan but I'm glad my friend convinced me. We had our own guest house at the temple, and Tomo (the son/monk in the training) came over with his buddies who were all studying to become monks and took us out for a Japanese teenage boy experience in Kyoto. We all ended up going to the sento together, then returning to the guest house to eat snacks and converse in broken English and broken Japanese. I'm curious what became of all those guys, and whether Tomo took over the temple (Zuiunin).
After Kyoto, we returned to Tokyo and to Glen's place for a couple more days to wrap up the trip, and got to visit the high school where Glen worked as an English teacher. I remember how uninterested his students were in a couple of American teenagers lol
I was high off that trip for months, dreaming about the next time I'd get to visit Japan. I don't think it's an understatement to say the experience changed my life. I've been to Japan over 10 times now, spent over a year cumulatively there as a tourist and on working holiday, and have been to Hokkaido and all the way down to Yakushima. I see myself returning to visit the country until I'm physically unable.
Again, check out some photos of the trip here:
And if you'd like to see photos of my recent trips to Japan I share photography on Instagram.
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damn that!
I took a lot more of course, but most were just the usual shots of buildings and streets, nothing very interesting.
