When in Japan, do as the Japanese do, right?

We all know that it’s only courteous to follow the rules of another country when visiting, so it just makes sense for people who are visiting Japan to find some of the things that differentiate Japan from other places. So what do the Japanese do that you can do too, now that you’re in a culture that looks at things a little differently than most? You can buy alcohol from a sake vending machine.

Yes, you heard that right. And guess what?

You don’t even have to wait until you get home to take a drink. When you’re in Japan, drinking alcohol is allowed in public areas. So why not put a few alcohol dispensing vending machines in a few carefully selected areas?

sake vending machine

The first thought that tends to come to most people’s mind

when they first learn about a vending machine that dispenses sake? Since everyone can access the vending machine, they wonder who’s to stop teens from partaking in underage drinking? Fortunately, this is not a real problem in Japan. All sake vending machines have restricted selling hours (they close at 11:00 pm), which has proven so far to be quite the deterrent. Good idea.

Additional security measures include:

making it so that some sake vending machines require users to enter a special card, aka a Sake Pass. You can currently a pickup up a Sake pass at the local city hall, which gives these alcohol drinking passes out to those who can prove that they’re 20 years or older, Japan’s legal drinking age.

Airports are one of the more popular places where you can find a vending machine that will pour you a fresh cup of sake. Makes sense. Ever look closely at people who are in an airport? Most are in a hurry, or stressed out. So what to do? Find a vending machine that will pour you a cup of sake. Feel better?

Where else can you find a sake vending machine?

Subway stations. Although regular sake consumers say that the overall quality of the subway station sake vending machines aren’t quite up to par, that’s currently being worked on. A mere $5.00 seems well worth the price for those who have had a long day of work. Wonder if most subway users in Japan are buying their sake on their way to work, or on the way home? Hmmm…

So a quick trip to Japan and you can walk right up to a vending machine, put your money in, and order a classic adult beverage – sake. Have you booked your trip yet?