The Japanese are enthusiastic social drinkers, several shared bottles of beer or flasks of sake being the preferred way for salarymen and -women to wind down after work. It's not uncommon to see totally inebriated people slumped in the street, though on the whole drunkenness rarely leads to violence.

If you want a non-alcoholic drink, you'll never be far from a coffee shop ( kissaten ) or a jidohanbaiki (vending machine), where you can get a vast range of canned soft drinks, teas and coffees, both hot and cold, though canned tea and coffee is often very sweet. Cans from machines typically cost ¥110 and hot drinks are identified by a red stripe under the display. It's worth noting that vending machines selling beer, sake and other alcoholic drinks shut down at 11pm, the same time as liquor stores. A few 24-hour convenience stores may sell alcohol after this time; look for the kanji for sake outside.