Marital beer buckets
At parties in Japan, there is a cultural tradition to pour beer for others.
This cultural habit is not only observable during company drinking parties, match making compa’s, or large wedding parties, but it pretty much happens anywhere there is a bottle of alcohol and more than one person drinking.
There is a saying that if you pour your own beer, you won’t be a success in life (or get a promotion at your company).
Anyway, during wedding parties in Japan, the beer drinking tradition is in full force. As a guest you are expected at some point to pick up a bottle and pour a tall cold one for the parents of the bride and groom, the office manager of the groom who gave a speech at the wedding, and of course, for the bride and groom themselves.
Japanese wedding parties can become fairly large, with guests usually numbering over 50. You can imagine that lot of beer makes its way over to the bride and groom.
[Stating the obvious] Not all Japanese are strong drinkers. 5 beers would make many a Japanese red in the face. So what do you do with all that beer? Also, your glass needs to be at least partly empty for when the next guest comes by with the bottle, or it would be rude. Where are they going to pour your beer?
See that metal can at the grooms feet in the nearby photo? This can is provided specifically for the groom to discretely empty his beer glasses into, so he can continue to accept more booze from all the grateful guests.
MMMMM beer, glorious beer. One can only hope it’s Super Dry that’s getting dumped into that bucket.
November 6th, 2006 at 9:54 amYet another link in the great conspiracy to relieve the Japanese common man of his excess wealth.
November 6th, 2006 at 11:11 amSo it’s more honorable to accept and then throw away beer than to refuse it? Seems like both options are shameful!
November 6th, 2006 at 11:44 amThats awesome! Great article. When I got married in Japan, we could have used those buckets actually! ha ha ha … Oh the memories.. uhm… ACtually I can’t remember much of the after party! ohh hm.. wow… Yeah we could have used those!!
November 6th, 2006 at 12:26 pmAt the company Year End party there was literally a line of people waiting, bottle in hand, to pour a glass for the company president. The weird thing was that the president gave a little surprised gasp for each pourer. “Now I expected 1-16 to pour a beer for me, but the 17th person in line? Now I just embarassed.”
No bucket.
November 6th, 2006 at 12:58 pmI don’ think it was super dry, I believe it was kirin.
November 6th, 2006 at 1:07 pm
So what happens to all that beer afterwards, is it given to the cat or sumethin?
November 6th, 2006 at 10:34 pmToss out like it was nothin at all… So sad.
November 6th, 2006 at 11:10 pmThey have a similar tradition in Korea; it is taken to be a little rude to not accept drinks, especially from someone older. I think I’ve thrown half of my soju shots on the floor.
November 7th, 2006 at 2:38 amWhen did they start serving beer for the bride and groom at weddings? All the ones I’ve ever been to have served sake for the newlyweds.
And they didn’t bother to hide the bucket under the table, either. There was a dish next to the choko for pouring out the excess sake. The groom takes a small sip and spills the rest out when the pourer returns to their seat.
It’s just a matter of form, which is the norm in Japan.
November 8th, 2006 at 9:59 pmThis is the Hirouen, not the Shiki itself.
Beer has been at Hirouen for as long as I have been in and out of Japan, so for at least the past 8 years.
The shiki itself, when it is Japanese style, has Sake as you said.
November 8th, 2006 at 10:03 pm