To anyone in Japan or been to Japan!

Milanista

Milanista

Mangiamoli!
19 December 2002
London & Milan
AC Milan
Hey all,

I'm going to Japan in July and would like to know how tough the Japanese are to foreigners in terms of going into clubs or drinking alochol. I've turned 19 in April and my other friend turned 19 in May. I'm wondering if anyone knows how lenient they are in Japan, or if they require fake IDs or something to get into clubs.

Thanks.
 
Milanista said:
Hey all,

I'm going to Japan in July and would like to know how tough the Japanese are to foreigners in terms of going into clubs or drinking alochol. I've turned 19 in April and my other friend turned 19 in May. I'm wondering if anyone knows how lenient they are in Japan, or if they require fake IDs or something to get into clubs.

Thanks.
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not sure about drinking, BUT DO NOT get caught with illegal drugs...

llegal Drugs: Penalties for possession or use of, or trafficking in illegal drugs, including marijuana, in Japan are strict, and convicted offenders can expect long jail sentences and fines. In most drug cases, suspects are usually detained incommunicado, which bars them from receiving visitors or corresponding with anyone other than a lawyer or U.S. consular officer until after indictment, which may take as long as several months. Solitary confinement is common.

People can be convicted of drug use based on positive blood or urine tests alone, and multiple Americans are now serving time in Japanese prisons as the result of sting operations and the use of informers. The Japanese police routinely share information on drug arrests with Interpol, assuring that notice of the arrest will reach U.S. law enforcement agencies. About half of all Americans now in prison in Japan are incarcerated for drug-related crimes.

Japanese authorities aggressively pursue drug smugglers with sophisticated detection equipment, "sniffing" dogs and other methods. Travelers and their luggage entering Japan are screened at ports of entry; incoming and outgoing mail, as well as international packages sent via DHL or FEDEX, is also checked carefully. The Japanese police make arrests for even the smallest amounts of illegal drugs. Several Americans are now in custody after having mailed illegal drugs to themselves from other countries. Other Americans are serving time for having tried to bring drugs into Japan as paid couriers working out of Southeast Asia or Europe.
 
Drinking age here is 20 so I'd stay clear of that too. I think you can drink at home but not outside or in a bar. It really isn't worth a risk as the police here are extremely strict.
 
Milanista said:
Hey all,

I'm going to Japan in July and would like to know how tough the Japanese are to foreigners in terms of going into clubs or drinking alochol. I've turned 19 in April and my other friend turned 19 in May. I'm wondering if anyone knows how lenient they are in Japan, or if they require fake IDs or something to get into clubs.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

are you going to the fuji rock festival or something, if so check out a band called Goverment Mule
 
Yep, I'm going to Fuji!

Marukomu - you think they'd be strict on us foreigners? I've read mixed things about students partying in Japan. Some say they never check ID and let you do what you want, others say they are extremely strict and dont let you do much.
 
I've been stopped on the street twice in 2 years just for ID, but there aren't many foreigners here so I'm a bit of a novelty and some of them just want to practice English.
If you look like a tourist they rarely stop you I think.
I haven't partied in Tokyo and especially at a festival so maybe you'd be ok. Tokyo is full of foreigners and they can't watch them all.
Just behave is the best advice because the cops can come down very hard.

They've been to my house to check on me a couple of times too.
 
We don't want to binge drink or anything in Tokyo, we just want to go to Japanese bars and some clubs that we wouldn't find in Europe.

The club from Lost in Translation is in central Tokyo and looks awesome! Do you recommend any places around Japan? We're going to be going to Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, Nagoya and Tokyo so far.
 
Depends what you want to see and how long you're staying but those places pretty much cover it.
Mt Fuji maybe? Kusatsu onsen is good but it's best to go in winter when it's snowing.
Kyoto is worth at least a two day stop. Best to get a city bus day ticket for 500 yen.

I'm on the west side of Japan so Kobe and Hiroshima are nearest to me. Himeji castle is pretty awesome and is only about 30 minutes from Osaka on the bullet.
As you are in London, are you getting one of those weekly train passes?
 
Yep, I'm going to Hong Kong next week, and will order one from there. On the 21st July im going to Nagoya to watch the Sumo finals.
 
Check with HIS travel that you can definitely get one in Hong Kong.

Time for bed for me now as it's 12.30 am. I've got a really important business lesson in the morning and need to be on my toes. They're pretty strict.
 
Definitely get a JR rail card if you're gonna travel about. It's not too cheap (about £110 I think) but you'll save A LOT in the long run as rail travel is expensive. I wouldn't worry too much about going out and stuff. If you look young then be careful with drinking etc as the cops can be pretty strict.

Having said that, being foreign can be a big bonus in J-land. Some clubs give you discount and even free drinks for being a 'gaijin'. In Tokyo they've generally seen it all before but I was approached by quite a few people in the street in Osaka and Kyoto, who just wanted to practice English, or just shout Beckhamu at me :-P

In general, my advice would be to learn how to say the following and you'll be fine:

Excuse me: Sumimasen
Please: Onegai shimas
Thank you: Arigato Gozimas

Politeness goes a long long way in Japan and as long as you're seen to be making the effort the locals will really appreciate it.
 
marukomu said:
Drinking age here is 20 so I'd stay clear of that too. I think you can drink at home but not outside or in a bar. It really isn't worth a risk as the police here are extremely strict.
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Really? I went to japan a couple years ago and got into a club AND drank alcahol no problem.
 
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