This picture taken on August 1, 2020 shows patrons in a non-alcoholic bar in Tokyo. – AFP pic
There’s even a word for drinking with colleagues: “Nominication”, a portmanteau of the word for drink —That has long put non-drinkers like Hideto Fujino, a 54-year-old fund manager, at a disadvantage, but he and others like him are speaking out — and finding they are not alone.“You sometimes hear statements like ‘you can’t get promoted if you can’t drink alcohol’,” said Fujino, who started a Facebook group for non-drinkers.
Some cite health reasons, or pregnancy, while others dislike alcohol or its effects on them, and some like drinking but have decided to cut back — a group that is growing in other parts of the world and is sometimes termed “sober curious”.For centuries, alcohol has played an important social role in Japan — feudal lords used it to bond with subordinates and sake was brewed in some temples.
The group also exploded with comments on the election of Japan’s new Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, a rare high-profile teetotaller.