At a glance
- Ask about the alcohol content and serving size, and whether it’s served warm or mixed with water or soda, then sip it slowly with food. If it’s your first time, it’s best to start with one small serving of a single drink.
- Before ordering your first drink, check the last train and route back to your hotel, and order water and food with it. Before choosing a second drink, check how much time you have left and how you’re feeling.
- Sake is brewed, while shochu is distilled, so their alcohol content can differ even when served in glasses of the same size. Check the menu for the alcohol content and serving size. People under 20 cannot order alcohol.
- If you have trouble understanding the explanation or don’t feel well, choose a nonalcoholic drink. Avoid bathing, driving, and long trips in the early morning after drinking.
- If the menu lists different volumes for glasses and bottles, ask the staff about the serving size first. Similar-sounding names can refer to drinks with different alcohol content and ways of serving, so limit your first order to one small serving and keep water on hand.
- Before ordering, check whether there are extra charges for food or seating in addition to the drinks. Setting a limit on the number of drinks can help you avoid rushing into a second order because of an unusual name or a recommendation.
- Keep your evening simple: dinner, one drink, water, then head back. Don’t assume last call is the same as the last train; leave time to pay and walk to the station.
- For your safety, check how alcohol interacts with any medication you take. If your face gets flushed or you feel dizzy, stop drinking immediately. If someone you’re with is drunk, don’t send them off alone; decide together whether to take a taxi or return to a nearby hotel.
- If the sake you want isn’t available or you can’t understand the explanation, a nonalcoholic drink is the surest alternative. Rather than traveling elsewhere late at night, finish up with the food and water you already have.
- Sake is called 日本酒 (nihonshu) in Japanese, and shochu is 焼酎. Nihonshu is often around 15% alcohol, and shochu is often 25%, but alcohol content varies by product. 一合 (ichigo) is 180 mL and 半合 (hango) is 90 mL, so ask if a smaller serving is available.
- For chilled sake, say 「冷酒をください」; for warm sake, say 「熱燗でお願いします」; for shochu diluted with water, say 「水割りで」; and for shochu mixed with soda, say 「ソーダ割りで」. Ask about the alcohol content with 「アルコールは何パーセントですか？」 and for water with 「お水もください」. If you want a nonalcoholic drink, check the label and ask 「アルコール0.00%ですか？」
Day by day
Suggested itinerary
See each day's route, highlights, background and stay together in one place.
Before your evening plans begin, check the last train back to your hotel → save questions about serving size and alcohol content → set a one-drink limit and choose a nonalcoholic alternative
Before your first drink, check the last train and route back to your hotel; order water and food at the same time; check your return time again before ordering a second drink
Before placing your final order, check how you’re feeling → finish your water and pay → leave for the station at least 30 minutes before the last train
Places and meals
When choosing a drink, ask about its alcohol content and serving size, whether it’s served warm, and whether it’s diluted with water or soda. Sip it slowly with food.
Google MapsSake is brewed, while shochu is distilled, so their alcohol content differs. Check the type and serving size. People under 20 must not drink.
Google MapsHow to fit it in
Before ordering your first drink, check the last train and route back to your hotel. Order water and food together, and check your return time again before choosing a second drink.
Reality check
Choose a place to drink near a station with a simple route back to your hotel. Leave at least 30 minutes between placing your final order and your departure time so you don’t have to rush for the last train.
Allow about 90 minutes for a meal and one or two drinks, and leave at least 30 minutes before the last train to pay and get to the station. Even if you have a reservation, check your route back as soon as you arrive. If you’re tired or the explanations are taking a while, skip the second drink.
First, check whether the menu price is for a 90 mL glass, a 180 mL serving (1 go), or a whole bottle. For example, if you’re quoted 800 yen for a glass, 700 yen for a small dish, and 400 yen for seating or a cover charge that includes an appetizer, your first order comes to 1,900 yen. This is a calculation example, not an actual restaurant price. Before ordering, check whether there’s a charge for お通し (a standard appetizer) and whether tax is included. Don’t automatically add a second drink.
In Japan, you must be at least 20 to drink alcohol. The legal age of adulthood was lowered to 18, but the minimum drinking age did not change. If you’re taking medication or don’t feel well, choose water or tea instead of alcohol. Avoid driving or bathing after drinking, and don’t send a drunk companion off alone. Don’t assume that a ノンアルコール label means 0.00%; check the actual label and ask the staff.
If plans change
If the drink you want isn’t available or you can’t confirm its alcohol content, don’t guess and order a small glass of something else. Choose a nonalcoholic drink instead.
If you’re tired or have an upset stomach, skip the tasting and have only food and nonalcoholic drinks.
Small tip
Sake is brewed and shochu is distilled, so their alcohol content differs even if they look like they’re served in similar glasses. People under 20 must not drink.
Final check before departure
- Before you leave, check the official hours and reservation requirements for ordering Japanese alcohol in Tokyo
- Save the last train and taxi routes back to your hotel, along with your target time for placing your final order.
- Check alcohol cautions for any medication you take, and decide your limit for the first drink and a nonalcoholic alternative
- Prepare Japanese phrases for asking about serving size, alcohol content, and food or seating charges
Official information was checked on 2026-07-29. Sake is brewed and shochu is distilled, so their alcohol content differs even if they look like they’re served in similar glasses. People under 20 must not drink. Check the official links below again just before your visit.
Information checked: 2026-10-03