At "0%", all the cocktails are non-alcoholic, but the bar is still something of an anomaly in Japan, where drinking is popular and considered an important part of business culture.
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.
But there are plenty of other reasons that people don't drink, said Fujino, whose Facebook group attracted over 4,000 members within months of him creating it. This means that non-drinkers can struggle, said Fujino, with many feeling their career progression may in part depend on drinking."You're told 'we didn't ask you to come because you can't drink' -- this makes you feel lonely and discriminated against."
The group also exploded with comments on the election of Japan's new Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, a rare high-profile teetotaller. The bar in the popular nightlife area of Roppongi, famous for clubs and drinking holes, offers vegan food alongside cocktails infused with ingredients including basil, mascarpone cheese, seaweed, and berries.
And we care why ?