Re:Japan plans to lower age of adulthood to 18 (2018)
by ekianjo on Thursday March 21, 2019 @09:22AM
(#19451982)
Nothing prevents you in Japan from drinking and smoking before 20. You just can't buy such goods directly, but it's well known that people get it thru other means (via a third party, friends, parents, etc...).
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Re:Japan plans to lower age of adulthood to 18 (2018)
by butisaidsudo on Thursday March 21, 2019 @01:59PM
(#19455325)
I lived in Japan when I was 19, and I never once was asked for ID when buying alcohol, neither at a store nor a bar. It seemed to be largely the honor system, since you could buy alcohol from vending machines. Although when one bartender found out my age, he said it wasn't a problem since I wasn't Japanese. Go figure.
A big club in Tokyo was the only place I was ever asked, and even there I was waved right through. Apparently, they were just checking for "gang affiliation".