How can you say no to alcohol in Japan?
At an enkai (party/reception) you need to have something to drink for the toast and for the custom of pouring/receiving drinks (it would indeed be rude to refuse to participate), but you can accept a soft drink substitute instead of alcohol. 1. Say you're going to be driving a car (if it is plausible) and so ask for a soft drink instead. This is what most Japanese people do when they don't want to drink. In Japanese: "Kuruma unten suru kara arukooru nomemasen no de, (juusu/ocha/kora/etc.) onegai shimasu." 2. Say you're allergic to alcohol, or are taking medicine that prohibits you from drinking (such as antibiotics). Allergy: "arerugi aru kara arukooru ga nomemasen." Medicine: "ima kusuri wo nonde iru kara arukooru ga nomemasen."
Does Wu Long (oolong) tea have alcohol?
Oolong tea does not contain any alcohol. It is actually not technically "fermented"--although this term is used, it's really not fermentation, it's oxidation, so it's more accurate to say it's a semi-oxidized tea. Even aged oolong teas do not contain alcohol. The oxidation process involves bruising the leaves and exposing them to air, so that they start to turn dark, and change in flavor. The same is true for black tea: it's oxidized, not technically "fermented" even though people say this. If you want more general information about oolong tea, I run a page on it: http://ratetea.net/style/oolong-tea/3/
What is your favorite way to drink Japanese Shochu?
Shochu isn’t my favorite alcohol, but a Lemon Sour made with shochu is a nice stand-in for my ‘usual’ summer drink of Vodka tonic.Shochu can be made with a variety of base materials, and they can taste significantly different from each other. Don’t assume they all taste the same or you may end up with something you don’t like.
Why do the Japanese drink a bowl of hot water with every meal?
Simple answer, they don’t. I’ve been living in Japan off and on for twenty-five years since 1971 in parts of Japan ranging from Kyushu in the wild west to Akita in the frigid north east. I have never encountered anyone drinking a bowl of hot water with a meal either in a home, restaurant, or banquet setting.The only time I have encountered hot water at meals in Japan is something called oyu-wari. You cut shochu an indigenous vodka like alcoholic drink with hot water.
Do the Chinese drink as much as the Japanese?
Yes and No depending on how you look at it.Japanese has an established drinking culture with izakaya and bars on every corner finely integrated into daily life. So an average Japanese person will drink and enjoy it.In China, many women still don’t drink. There isn’t established places to drink. Mostly restaurants and clubs are the venues. Drinking is not daily unless you are a businessman or Communist cadre engaging in debauchery that knows no comparisons.
How do Japanese drink so much and still live long?
I don't believe they drink that much, at least compared with north Europeans and Russians. First of all, Nihonshu, commonly referred to as saké, is around 15% alcohol or 30 proof. That is slightly stronger than red wine, but the Japanese drink that out of much smaller cups than wine glasses, especially at a meal. When they drink beer they also tend to drink that out of smaller glass, unless it is draught.When the liquor is stronger, say Shochu or whiskey, the Japanese will drink it diluted with water or Oolong tea (called mizuwari or Oolong wari), a normal ratio is one part liquor to ten parts water, hence over the time I could down three double whiskey neat or on the rocks, my Japanese buddies would maybe have downed the equivalent of one single shot.
For a native Japanese: How many cups of green tea per day does the average Japanese drink?
It depends on each one. There is no general data. BTW, we drink green tea in PET rather than cup now. PET green teas are sold at many stores.
Do the Japanese live longer because of the excessive green tea drinking?
It’s not just the tea. I worked there a short while and lost weight and felt great even though the climate was not my best climate (very hot and humid.)The Japanese walk a lot or bicycle around the city. Even if you are taking public transportation (usual) you walk and climb stairs a lot.They eat a diet very low in sugar. Not even a lot of fruit; fruit is expensive.The diet is relatively low in fat (depends on what you choose to eat, but lower than European or American.)The diet is high in fish, beans, seaweed and vegetables. Miso (fermented bean paste) is also supposed to have health benefits.They drink cold or hot green tea more than sodas.Japanese health care is excellent.Japanese elder care is superior to any other.Even Japanese prisoners eat decent meals of rice or rice porridge, fish and soup.School children get healthy lunches of rice, soup and fish or chicken with vegetables. Lunch is considered an important time of day, not a nuisance to be taken care of with packets of bologna and crackers or chicken nuggets and rushed through, like in the US (kids here have barely five minutes to eat and are often taken out of lunch before they have time to eat their food.) In Japan, they take time to eat a good lunch and the kids participate in cleanup and prep.While there are a lot of unhealthy things in Japan, the attitude towards daily life is very healthy and the diet is one of the best.