They are all worth a taste and average about 5% abv. Widely available brands include Kirin, Sapporo, Suntory, and Asahi. Whilst sake (rice wine) is the national drink of Japan, lager-beer (pronounced 'beer-ru' in Japanese) is the most popular drink. Otsumami usually comes in the form of a plate of edamame (soy beans), surume (dried shredded squid) or arare (small rice crackers whose name literally translates as hailstones!). Drinking is almost always accompanied by a meal or otsumami (a light snack). Unlike in the West, the culture of going out for just a drink does not really exist in Japan. Never pour a drink for yourself your friend or host should do this for you and you in turn should keep your companions' glasses filled to the brim! A word you'll hear quite often is kanpai - 'cheers' in Japanese. Japan is a country of drinkers - and a few rituals should be considered before taking a tipple. If you’re drinking expensive shochu, you should definitely drink it on the rocks first to fully enjoy the aroma and flavor.Explore our latest brochure for Japan holiday inspiration Mizuwari is alcohol mixed with water, and oyuwari is the warmed version of mizuwari. Shochu is commonly consumed by itself, with ice, mixed with other drinks, warmed, or with water added. Not unlike shiso itself, shiso shochu has a soft and slightly herbal flavor. Try buckwheat shochu for a mild but slightly bitter taste, or go slightly sweet with sugar cane shochu. Mugi shochu has a mild flavor and is good for beginners, while imojochu (sweet potato shochu) has a stronger flavor and can be consumed warm. After this, the mixture is distilled.īase ingredients can include mugi (barley), imo (sweet potato), rice, sugarcane, buckwheat, or shiso which is a leaf from the mint family. Next, the crushed base ingredient is added to the mash and left to ferment. Shochu is what people would generally expect an older “gentleman” to be drinking so if you’re caught ordering shochu at your next nomikai, your comrades are likely to say you look shibui (refined).įirst made in the 1500s in Kyushu, it is a distilled Japanese alcohol which is created starting with a fermented mash of water, yeast, and koji mold. Next time you find yourself in a drinking establishment in Japan, try using out the phrase toriaezu biru!

There is non-alcoholic beer available, as well as happoshu which is a low malt almost beer that exists as a cheaper alternative to real beer. Today you can order beer at most bars and many restaurants. The country soon started importing beers after reopening to the outside world, and later Japanese started making their own. In recent years, however, there has been somewhat of a craft beer movement and bars selling several different types of beers including a variety of craft beers available on tap are popping up more and more.īeer was first introduced to Japan by Dutch merchants at Dejima, which was an island trading post from the time when Japan was more isolated. Like most everywhere else in the world, beer is an alcohol made from cereal grains, yeast, hops, and water. This is because at most establishments, not only is there only one type of beer on tap, the majority of Japanese people don’t care to trouble themselves with the choice. It is actually quite common to simply order “draft beer” without specifying the type. You can order nama biru, which is a draught (or draft) beer, or bin biru which is a large, oftentimes half-liter bottle of beer to be shared among people at the table. If you need a go-to drink in Japan, beer is a recommended starter especially if you are at an izakaya where it's popular to use this phrase. This basically means, “Let's start off with beer,” and not only is it an easy way to start the drinks off without taking too much time, it shows just how popular beer is in Japan. When asked for drink orders, Japanese often exclaim “ toriaezu biru” without even looking at the menu.

The number one spirit in japan