Drinking is a substantial part of Japanese culture. Japanese people do not only drink green
tea with meals and at the workplace, but also an extensive variety of alcoholic beverages with
friends and coworkers in the evening.
Sake
Known as “sake” in Western nations, it is called nihonshu in Japan, where sake indicates any
type of alcoholic beverage. It is a transparent rice-based drink containing about 15% alcohol.
Sake can be served hot (atsukan) or cold (hiyashi), but sake pros drink it cold. Generally, sake
can cost at least 500 Japanese yen (JPY) at a restaurant.
Shochu
Shōchū is a stronger beverage, or sake’s “big brother”. It is usually enjoyed as a type of cooler
mixed with soda or juice, commonly known as a chūhai. Shōchū is normally served straight
or on the rocks, and contains around 25% alcohol. On the contrary, some varieties can
contain alcohol as strong as 60%.
Beer
Kirin, Asahi, Sapporo, and Suntory are several leading brands of Japanese beer, but there is
an increasing number of local breweries around the country. Furthermore, an emergence of
micro-brewed beers has begun in Japan.
Due to Japan’s complex alcohol licensing laws, there are also diluted, or “almost-beers” on the
market. This includes happōshu (low-malt beer) and the alleged “third beer” (dai-san no
biiru), which uses malt alternatives such as soybean peptide. Although lighter and diluted in
taste, both are markedly cheaper than the real thing, costing at only 120 JPY.
Wine
Hokkaidō and Yamanashi are the main regions for winemaking. With a range of wines
existing, (usually expensive) imported wine is available nationwide as well. In the past, most
Japanese wine was more like a cuvée (more than one grape from selected barrels), but now
more producers insist their wines have been made with “100% Japanese grapes”.
Tea
In Japan, the most favored drink is without a doubt green tea (ryokucha, or simply o-cha). It is
offered free of charge at almost every restaurant and is served hot in the winter and cold in
the summer. There is a numerous selection of tea variants in vending machines and
convenience stores. Other popular teas include Japanese brown and green tea, Western-style
black tea (kocha), and Chinese oolong tea.
Coffee
Coffee has become more widespread in Japan, but it is not part of the traditional Japanese
breakfast. Similar in strength as European coffee, weaker brews are called “American” or
“Blend”. For around 120 JPY, hot and cold canned coffee is convenient to obtain in vending
machines like other drinks in Japan. Normally, the coffee is quite sweet, so it can be served
black along with other “European” varieties as well. To point out, decaffeinated coffee is
uncommon in Japan, even at popular coffee branches.
Soft Drinks
Japan has many unique soft drinks to offer. A few popular beverages include Calpis, a milky
yogurt-based soft drink. In addition, there is also the well-known Pocari Sweat, a type of
electrolyte balanced sports drink. Ramune is a carbonated soft drink similar to Sprite, but it is
distinctive for its glass Codd-neck bottle, where you must push down a marble below the
spout to open it.
Most American soft drink brands, such as Coca-Cola and Mountain Dew, can also be
purchased in Japan, as they are even available in their diet varieties.
Hokkaido | Asahikawa
Otokoyama Sake Brewery
Boasts a 340-year history of making sake, has won numerous awards worldwide.
Tohoku | Fukushima | Aizu Wakamatsu
Suehiro Sake Brewery
Suehiro Sake Brewery is one of the largest and most famous sake makers in the Tohoku Region.
Kanto | Tokyo | Outlying Areas
Sawanoi Sake Brewery
Sawanoi Sake Brewery is one the traditional nihonshu producers in the Tokyo area.
Kanto | Kanagawa | Yokohama
Kirin Beer Village
The Kirin Beer Village is part of the Kirin brewery located in Yokohama and has free brewery tours.
Chubu | Niigata | Yuzawa
Ponshukan Sake and Rice Museum
A theme park for sake and rice, where you can try Niigata's leading brands of sake.
Kansai | Hyogo | Kobe
Nada Sake District
Sake is fermented rice in Japan and the Nada Sake District is one of the biggest producers of the alcoholic beverage.
Kansai | Kyoto | Kyoto City
Fushimi Sake District
The Fushimi Sake District is home to almost 40 sake breweries including the Gekkeikan.
Chugoku | Hiroshima | Hiroshima City
Saijo Sake District
A Sake District located in Hiroshima Prefecture famous for being the home of many sake breweries producing high quality sake
Okinawa Islands | Okinawa | Southern Okinawa
Awamori Masahiro Gallery
The Higa distillery was established in 1883 in the old town of Shuri, now operating out of Itoman City in the south of Okinawa Island.