IN England, we often consider ourselves a nation of drinkers — and good ones at that. But, Japan definitely trumps us in this area! Drinking culture there is a very different beast.

In Japan, if your boss feels like a couple of drinks after work, you must go with him. No choice about it, it’s expected of you. Once you are out with your boss, you must also stay out until he wants to go home. Again, no choice.

This attitude of drinking being a part of ones working life is what has led to many Japanese professionals developing drinking problems. For a country that holds such strict laws around illegal substances such as marijuana, it has a very lax attitude towards alcohol and tobacco.

The majority of bars in Japan operate with a pay as you leave policy, with customers ordering drink after drink without handing over any money. This kind of system encourages people to drink more, as they aren’t paying attention to the cost. If it’s not pay as you leave, it’s all you can drink.

All you can drink parties are extremely popular across Japan with beer gardens, restaurants and bars running these offers. You pay a fixed (low) amount for the opportunity to drink as much alcohol as possible — usually within 90 to 120 minutes.

The strangest thing though, is people’s attitude towards drunkenness. If you were to stumble upon a man fully dressed in his suit, briefcase at his side, fast asleep sprawled on the pavement, how would you react? I’m assuming there would be some amount of shock, and maybe even a touch of fear.

In Japan, this is a common sight. Walking towards the train station for the last (or even first) train, you will be greeted with at least one drunken businessman passed out on the side of the road. It is not shameful, it’s sad. The poor man couldn’t get home to his family tonight because he had too much to drink — what a shame!

Maybe one day Japan will realise that it has a drinking problem, but it is unlikely. The need to drink seems ingrained in the country's genes.