Your colleague leans across the desk at 5:58 PM and says it casually: “Kyou, nomikai iku?” — “Going to the drinking party today?” Before you can answer, three more coworkers are already packing up. Ten minutes later you are ducking under a short navy noren curtain into a narrow izakaya beneath the train tracks, the air thick with charcoal smoke and overlapping conversations. Someone flags down the server. “Toriaezu, nama de.” Beer for now. The evening has begun — and the Japanese you need to navigate it is more specific, more layered, and more socially loaded than anything in your textbook.
Japan’s izakaya culture traces back to the Edo period, when sake shops began letting customers sit and drink on the premises. The word itself — 居酒屋 (izakaya) — combines “to stay” and “sake shop.” By the early 1800s, Edo alone had over 1,800 izakaya, making them the most common type of eating and drinking establishment in the city. Today, roughly one in five restaurants in Japan is an izakaya. They are the living room of Japanese social life: the place where hierarchies soften just enough for honest conversation. Knowing the right words transforms you from a spectator into a participant.
The First Round: Ordering Drinks
In most izakayas, the server appears within seconds of you sitting down. The unspoken custom is to start with beer — a tradition that took hold during Japan’s postwar economic boom. The phrase you will hear (and should learn to say) is:
Ready to speak Japanese with a real person?
Book Your First Lesson — $55とりあえずビール (toriaezu biiru) — “Beer for now”
This is not really a question. It is a social ritual — a way of saying “let’s get started together.” The group orders the same thing so the drinks arrive fast and the toast can happen without delay. That said, the tradition has loosened. It is increasingly common for younger drinkers to order a highball, a chuhai, or a non-alcoholic drink for the first round.
Here is the core drink vocabulary you will encounter on almost every izakaya menu:
- 生ビール (nama biiru) — draft beer. Nama means “raw” or “fresh,” referring to unpasteurized beer on tap.
- 日本酒 (nihonshu) — sake, Japanese rice wine. On menus you may also see it listed simply as 酒 (sake).
- 焼酎 (shouchu) — a distilled spirit made from barley, sweet potato, rice, or other starches. Barley shouchu is mild; sweet potato shouchu has a stronger, more distinctive flavor.
- ハイボール (haibōru) — highball, whisky and soda. So popular you can buy canned versions at any convenience store.
- チューハイ (chuuhai) — a shochu highball, typically mixed with soda and fruit flavoring. Lemon is the classic.
- 梅酒 (umeshu) — plum wine, sweet and smooth, often served on the rocks or with soda.
- ウーロン茶 (uuroncha) — oolong tea. The de facto non-alcoholic order at an izakaya, and no one will bat an eye if you choose it.
When you are ready to order, catch the server’s attention with すみません (sumimasen) — “Excuse me” — and state your drink:
生ビールを二つください (nama biiru o futatsu kudasai) — “Two draft beers, please.”
Kanpai: The Toast That Starts Everything
No one drinks until the toast. This is not a suggestion — it is a genuine social rule. Once everyone has a glass in hand, the host or organizer raises theirs and calls out:
乾杯 (kanpai) — “Cheers.” Literally, “dry the cup.”
Everyone raises their glass, makes eye contact, and drinks together. The custom is said to date back to 1858, when the Earl of Elgin toasted the English monarch’s health at a banquet following the Treaty of Amity and Commerce. The samurai present adopted the practice, creating Japan’s first kanpai.
You do not have to drain your glass — the literal meaning is ceremonial. But you do need to wait for it. Drinking before kanpai signals that you are not part of the group, which is the opposite of what the evening is for.
If you are not drinking alcohol, raise your oolong tea or soft drink for the toast. That is completely normal. Just avoid toasting with water — older Japanese customs associate water with funeral rites, and some still observe that tradition.
Pouring Etiquette: Never Fill Your Own Glass
This is the rule that catches most visitors off guard. In Japan, you pour for others, and they pour for you. Filling your own glass signals that no one at the table cares enough to notice — a quiet insult to your companions.
When pouring sake or beer from a bottle, hold the bottle with your right hand and support it near the neck with your left. Pour in a smooth arc: start with a trickle, move to a steady flow, then taper off. Do not fill the cup to the brim.
When someone pours for you, receive the glass with both hands — right hand holding it, left hand supporting the base. Take a sip before setting it down. This small gesture completes the exchange.
At a work gathering, junior employees pour for their seniors first, and seniors often return the gesture as goodwill. If you see your neighbor’s glass getting low, offer to refill it. This attentiveness — noticing without being asked — is one of the quiet social skills that Japanese culture values highly.
Some useful phrases for these moments:
- 注ぎましょうか (tsugimashō ka) — “Shall I pour for you?”
- いただきます (itadakimasu) — “I humbly receive.” Said before your first sip or bite.
- もう一杯いかがですか (mou ippai ikaga desu ka) — “How about one more?”
Otoshi: The Dish You Did Not Order
Shortly after you sit down, a small dish will appear at your table — a bowl of edamame, a square of cold tofu, some marinated vegetables. You did not order it. This is お通し (otoshi), and it functions as an indirect table charge.
In the Kansai region around Osaka and Kyoto, the same custom goes by a different name: 突き出し (tsukidashi). The concept is the same. The dish typically costs between 300 and 500 yen per person, though some establishments charge up to 1,000 yen.
The tradition has practical roots. Since there is always a delay between ordering and receiving your food, izakayas historically offered a small appetizer with your first drink to keep you satisfied while the kitchen worked. It also served as confirmation that your order had been received. Today, it doubles as a cover charge that helps offset the cost of customers occupying seats for hours.
You can refuse otoshi — but you need to decline when the dish arrives, not at the end of the night when the bill comes. In practice, most people accept it. It is part of the experience.
Ordering Food: Shared Plates, Shared Language
Izakaya food is designed for sharing. Dishes arrive in the center of the table and everyone picks from them. The key vocabulary:
おつまみ (otsumami) — snacks or small dishes meant to accompany drinks.
Here are staples you will find at virtually every izakaya:
- 枝豆 (edamame) — salted soybeans in the pod. The universal izakaya starter.
- 焼き鳥 (yakitori) — grilled chicken skewers. Order them 塩 (shio, salt) or たれ (tare, sweet soy glaze).
- 唐揚げ (karaage) — Japanese fried chicken, crispy and juicy.
- 刺身 (sashimi) — sliced raw fish.
- 冷奴 (hiyayakko) — chilled tofu, often topped with ginger and bonito flakes.
- たこわさ (takowasa) — raw octopus with wasabi. A classic drinking snack.
- ポテトサラダ (poteto sarada) — potato salad. A surprisingly beloved izakaya staple.
To order, you can point at the menu and say:
これをお願いします (kore o onegaishimasu) — “This one, please.”
Or, if you want to order multiple items: 枝豆と唐揚げをお願いします (edamame to karaage o onegaishimasu) — “Edamame and fried chicken, please.”
Nomihoudai: All-You-Can-Drink
Many izakayas offer 飲み放題 (nomihoudai) — an all-you-can-drink plan for a fixed price and time limit. A typical nomihoudai runs 90 minutes to two hours and costs between 1,000 and 3,000 yen (roughly $7 to $20 USD). Most plans cover draft beer, cocktails, chuhai, shochu, sake, and soft drinks. Premium plans add whisky, wine, or higher-end sake.
There is usually a last call 30 minutes before your time expires. The server will come by and ask if you want a final round. The phrase to listen for:
ラストオーダーです (rasuto oodaa desu) — “This is last order.”
Many nomihoudai plans pair with a 食べ放題 (tabehoudai) — all-you-can-eat — or a set course menu. Work nomikai frequently use these packages because they simplify ordering and bill-splitting.
If you want to experience Japanese sake culture in a more guided setting, an introductory sake tasting class in Tokyo led by a sommelier is a worthwhile complement to your izakaya adventures — it gives you the vocabulary of flavor and region that makes ordering nihonshu far more intentional.
Nomikai: Work Drinking Parties and the Unwritten Rules
A 飲み会 (nomikai) is a drinking gathering, and in Japanese work culture, it is an extension of the office. The Japanese coined a word for it: 飲みニケーション (nomunikeeshon, “nomunication”), a blend of “drink” and “communication.” The idea is that alcohol lowers the walls of formality enough for real conversation to happen across ranks.
The hierarchy does not disappear — it just expresses itself differently. Seating follows the principle of 上座 (kamiza) and 下座 (shimoza). The most senior person sits at the kamiza, the seat of honor farthest from the door. Junior employees sit at the shimoza, closest to the door, because they handle ordering, refilling glasses, and flagging down the server.
A few key behavioral expectations:
- Wait for the senior person or organizer to initiate kanpai before drinking.
- Junior members pour for seniors first. Seniors often pour back as a gesture of camaraderie.
- Keep an eye on empty glasses around you and offer to refill them.
- What is said at the nomikai tends to stay at the nomikai. Things spoken under the influence are generally forgiven the next morning at the office.
That said, the culture is shifting. A 2024 Nippon Life survey found that 56.4% of Japanese workers now consider after-hours nomunication unnecessary — the highest share ever recorded. Awareness of 飲みハラ (nomi-hara, “drinking harassment”) is growing, and a 2023 survey found nearly 80% of workers consider it harassment when a boss criticizes someone for skipping a drinking party. Japan’s workforce is renegotiating these boundaries in real time.
Saying No Politely: Phrases for Non-Drinkers
You do not have to drink alcohol to participate in izakaya culture. Non-drinkers join nomikai all the time, and the social expectation has softened. Oolong tea is the go-to choice — ordering it is an understood signal that you are not drinking, and it draws zero attention.
A survey found that 44% of Japanese people in their twenties do not drink alcohol at all, so you are far from alone. The non-alcoholic beverage market in Japan has grown 40% over the past decade, and izakaya menus have expanded to match.
Here are phrases that let you decline gracefully:
- お酒が飲めません (osake ga nomemasen) — “I can’t drink alcohol.” Using 飲めません (nomemasen, “can’t”) rather than 飲みません (nomimasen, “don’t”) implies a physical reason, which tends to end the conversation faster.
- ウーロン茶でお願いします (uuroncha de onegaishimasu) — “Oolong tea, please.”
- もう結構です (mou kekkou desu) — “I’m fine, thank you.” Use this to politely stop refills.
- 今日は車です (kyou wa kuruma desu) — “I’m driving today.” Japan’s drunk driving laws are strict, and this reason is universally respected.
Be firm but not apologetic. After a brief moment of surprise, most groups move on.
Paying the Bill: Warikan and Other Options
When the evening winds down, someone will call for the check:
お会計お願いします (okaikei onegaishimasu) — “Check, please.”
At izakayas, the most common approach for groups is 割り勘 (warikan) — splitting the total bill equally among everyone. Because dishes are shared and drinks flow freely, tracking individual orders is impractical. Warikan solves this: divide the total, everyone pays the same.
If you prefer to pay only for what you ordered — more common among friends than coworkers:
別々でお願いします (betsubetsu de onegaishimasu) — “Separately, please.”
At work nomikai, the boss sometimes covers the entire bill or pays a larger share — a gesture of generosity, not obligation. If someone treats you, respond with:
ごちそうさまでした (gochisousama deshita) — “Thank you for the meal.” This carries genuine warmth and is expected, not optional.
Wrapping Up the Night
As you step back out through the noren curtain into the cool night air, the phrases you used — kanpai, toriaezu biiru, sumimasen, gochisousama — were more than vocabulary exercises. They were the connective tissue of the evening: small acts of language that told the people around you, “I am here, I am paying attention, I want to be part of this.”
That is what drinking culture in Japan rewards — not how much you can drink, but how present you are. Whether you are holding a frosty nama biiru or a glass of uuroncha, the phrases and etiquette you bring to the table shape whether you sit on the outside or become part of the circle.
If you want to build the Japanese that carries you through these moments — not just at an izakaya, but in every real conversation that matters — explore our lesson plans at Tabiji Academy. We teach the language that textbooks skip: the phrases that make people lean in, laugh, and pour you another round.
