Living in Japan

Beer consumption in Japan dates back to the establishment of the trade route between the Dutch Empire and Japan, when Dutch sailors brought the first beer to the country. During the Meiji Period (1868-1912), Germany re-introduced not only beer but also manufacturing and brewing techniques. It was during this time that Japanese style commercial brewing was born and has since become instrumental in its spread throughout Asia. Since then, beer has become the alcoholic drink of preference for Japanese people.

Over the years, drinking beer has become a popular pastime and many people in Japan frequent open-air beer gardens during the hot summer months. In fact, beer is so popular in Japan that it can be found almost anywhere, including vending machines throughout the country, which are a favorite of many foreigners visitors and residents of Japan.

As in places around the world, Japanese alcoholic drinks often evolved from simple mixtures into potent potions handed down from centuries of innovation and refined by distillers today. In Japan, intoxicating mixes were products of organic origin, such as plants, trees, and root crops. A few were acquired from foreign countries which suited local taste. Some of the more popular acoholic drinks in Japan are found below.

Amazake

Amazake is a sweet, low-alcohol content Japanese drink made from fermented rice. Koji is added to cooled-down whole grain rice and made to stand for days to develop natural sweetness. The basic recipe for Amazake has been around for centuries and can often be found at street vendors and outside of shrines around the New Year. Amazake is also thought to be very nutritious and, having no additives, salt, preservative, and no added sugars, is sold in health food stores outside of Japan.

Non-alcoholic drinks in Japan are classified as organic since most are concoctions of various edible shrubs, herbs, vegetables, root crops, grains and fruit juices. They are marketed in bottles, aluminum cans and plastic containers. Some drinks are for winter while others are for the warm months. A few of the most common drinks in Japan are listed below.

Aojiru

Aojiru (あおじる；青汁) means 'green drink' or 'green juice' and is a vegetable drink usually made from kale. Developed in 1943 by Dr. Niro Endo (えんどう・にろう；遠藤仁郎)developed the drink in 1943 and claimed the drink cured his wife from nephritis and his son's pneumonia. The drink gained in popularity in the 1980s when it was turned into a power marketed as a dietary supplement. Despite its awful, the market for aojiru exceeded $500 million in 2005.

Boss Coffee

Sold in cans and plastic canisters, Boss (ボス) coffee is by made by Suntory.

Calpis

Similar to vanilla yogurt, Calpis (カルピス)is non-alcoholic with a light milky and acidic flavor. The drink is sold both in cans and bottles, and in concentrate form with milk or water as additives. Many foreigners who come to Japan find it difficult drinking something that sounds so much like cow urine.

Cheerio

Cheerio (チェリオ) is a carbonated soft drink that comes in a variety of flavors, including grape, orange and many more.

Georgia

The highest grossing coffee beverage in Japan, Georgia (ジョージ　缶コーヒー) is a brand of coffee based drinks developed and sold by the Coca-Cola Company.

Green Tea

Green tea, or ryokucha (りょくちゃ;緑茶), is a traditional tea extracted from Camellia sinenses that is treated to attain minimal oxidation during processing in order to maintain its health enhancing properties. Green tea is so popular in Japan it is often simply referred to as 'tea' (ocha;おちゃ；お茶) or even 'Japanese tea' (nihoncha;にほんちゃ；日本茶). Green teas are graded according to quality and by which part of the plant is used. The best Japanese green teas are those that come from the Uji (うじ；宇治) region in Kyoto (きょうと；京都), although some prefer those obtained from Shizuoka Prefecture (しずおかけん；静岡県).

Hoppy

Developed by Kokuha Beverage Company, Hoppy (ホッピー) is a non-alcoholic beer that become popular as a mixer for shochu in post-WWII Japan when beer was unavailable to the ordinary Japanese person.

Canned Coffee

This beverage is available in vending machines, supermarkets, and convenience stores, or kombini (コンビニ), throughout Japan.

Jurokucha

The literal meaning of jurokucha (じゅうろくちゃ；十六茶) is 16 teas. The drink consists of a blend of leaves, grains and fruits and is considered a health drink due to its rich dietary fiber content.

Lipovitan

Lipovitan (リポビタン), or 'Lipita' for short, is an energy drink that is supposed to improve performance and relieve physical and mental fatigue. The ingredients are similar to the ubiquitous Red Bull and is being marketed in English-speaking countries as Libogen. Vodka lipos have made their way onto some drink menus but remember that they are potent concoctions and having several may cause insomnia.

Match

A carbonated soft drink with a fruity taste, Match (マッチ) is very popular among tourists.

Mitsuya Cider

Mitsuya Cider (ミツ矢サイダー) a is carbonated soft drink produced by Asahi Breweries. Sold in lavishly designed bottles, it comes in various fruity flavors.

Mugicha

Mugicha (むぎちゃ;麦茶) is an herbal tea made from roasted barley that can be brewed with both hot or cold water. In Japan, it is most commonly served cold during the summer. Canned and bottles mugicha is available in vending machines.

Oronamin C Drink

Carbonated Oronamin C Drink (オロナニンCドリンク), the number one health drink in Japan in terms of sales.

Pocari Sweat

Despite its peculiar name, Pocari Sweat (ポカリスエット) is both a sports drink/soft drink that resembles Arctic Shatter flavored Powerade. The drink enjoys popularity outside of Japan, including South Korea, Hong Kong, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, Taiwan and Indonesia. Numerous foreigners in Japan are conducting thorough searches throughout the country but have not been to find any Pocaris. When one is finally found, the next step is to discern the sweat extraction process.

Ramune

Ramune (ラムネ) is a carbonated lemon-lime soft drink sold in a unique Codd-neck bottles, whose design is names after its inventor Hiram Codd.

Sangaria

Sangaria (サナガリア) is a tea based soft drink infused with vitamins. It is widely known to promote health and is not to be confused with the similar sounding sangria, which is a type of fruit-based wine cooler.

Tamaryokucha

A Japanese green tea mixed with berries, almond, citrus and edible grass, Tamaryokucha (たまりょくちゃ；玉緑茶) comes in two variants: the pan fried or steamed.

Yakult

Invented by Dr. Minoru Shirota, Yakult (ヤクルト) is a probiotic drink with live Lactobacillus casei bacteria to correct intestinal problems. It is a yogurt-like drink that is a fermented mixture of skimmed milk and sugar. Sold in 27 countries, Yakult was developed in 1930 by Minoru Shirota. The parent company, Yakult Honsha Co., Ltd. own one of Japan's major league baseball teams, the Tokyo Yakult Swallows.

What kind of drink do most Japanese people have when they get to work in the morning? Green tea, right?...Wrong. As in most countries around the world coffee is the drink of choice for the majority of people in Japan.

Here is our section about different beverages in Japan and you will find information about alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.

Finding and renting an apartment in Japan is sometimes difficult as many landlords do not rent to foreigners and real estate agents can be hesitant to take one on as a client; countless foreigners in Japan have been told that finding them an apartment will be 'difficult', which translates into English as 'sorry, but I won't help'. That being said, there are now many people from all over the world in cities throughout Japan and finding housing is not the problem it once was.

Housing in Japan

If you are interested in teaching English and living in Japan then you may have to find your own housing as most schools do not provide their foreign English teachers with a place to stay. Real estate can be very high, especially in urban areas, and most people in Japan live in an apartment of one type or another. In fact, housing is generally the greatest difficulty for foreigners coming to live in Japan. Although some of the housing issues of the economic bubble years have improved, some of the old problems still remain and are unlikely to change anytime soon.

Depending on the prefecture and place of employment and whether you will work in the city or countryside, there will basically be two types of housing available: gaijin houses and rental apartments. Some cities do have public housing and you should contact the local city or prefecture for details if you are interested in pursuing this option as there may be an income requirement. Another possibility for those that work in the countryside is to rent a house. However, as apartment buildings have sprung up all over Japan renting a house has become less and and less of an option and will not apply to the great majority of foreigners who come to live and teach English in Japan.

Most foreigners find living in Japan to be a fun and rewarding experience. From food to entertainment there is something for everyone in the land of the rising sun.