Waking up in bed with a monstrous hangover is bad enough, but waking up in an alleyway in possession of possibly the mother of all hangovers must be bad beyond belief.
Photographs from a small group of islands
Waking up in bed with a monstrous hangover is bad enough, but waking up in an alleyway in possession of possibly the mother of all hangovers must be bad beyond belief.
melissa says
oh my. how does one get so slaughtered?
Lee says
This was taken mid-afternoon if I remember correctly, so I suspect by starting early evening and bravely battling on til the following lunch time!
YTSL says
It’s scary to see how comatose drunk Japanese people can get. I’ve witnessed this first hand when in Japan, especially since I usually stay in Shinjuku when I visit Tokyo. This obviously cannot be good for their health. Still, I suppose it’s better for the social good than the Americans and Brits I’ve seen who get extremely aggressive when drunk… :S
BTW, it’s weird that both those drunk men were wearing blue and white striped shirts… was it a themed night at a nearby bar or what?!
Lee says
It is amazing how drunk some people get, but like you say, there’s none of the violence seen in other countries. They may feel awful when and wherever they wake up, but at least they aren’t causing anyone any bother.
The matching tops are great, aren’t they? That made the photo for me. I presume it was just a coincidence, but can’t say for sure.
cdilla says
Remarkable syncronicity you managed to capture here.
Perhaps the reason for drinking is one cause of the different end results around the world. In Japan, my limited “through the NHK documentary window” perspecive is that many Japanese people drink because their work lives are so long, hard and draining, thus they get the socializing and forget-your-worries effects of alcohol but have no energy or inclination to be aggressive and violent. In the UK people come home from a relatively light day’s work, or no work at all if unemployed or at a weekend, and go out with the full intention of having a loud and energetic time which, fueled by alcohol all too often results in aggressive behaviour.
I am reading a travel book at the moment where the traveler recounted an incident in a Japanese bar where he (a foreigner) was being berated by a Japanese guy worse the wear for drink, and in the end he (to his own personal shame it must be said) deliberately wound up and insulted the Japanese guy precisely because he knew he would not be followed out of the bar and be beaten up as he would have been pretty much anywhere else in the world.
As for me, I’m a garrulous drunk (“no kidding” you think wading through this endless post), but my brother is a quietly fall asleep drunk – which isn’t to say either of us spends much, if any, of our time these days in that situation.
Lee says
Yes, couldn’t believe my luck to see them both in a very similar top.
The drinking to excess may well (in part at least) be a reaction to busy, often stressful work lives. But the lack of violence certainly isn’t through a lack of energy. At least not from my experience. It just isn’t a part of the culture or national psyche. Something I’m always very grateful for. Of course that’s not to say Japanese drunks can’t be thoroughly annoying and overbearing, because they can. But after way too many hours, in all kinds of bars, over what is now many years, I’ve never once felt in even the slightest bit of trouble.
AF says
How nice it must be to sleep on those separated seats, huh… 😀
Lee says
I know. A sore back to add to the sore head!
d.minnis says
Yes, the shirts are what make the photo for me…..at first I thought a uniform of sorts and then realized they they are not the same strip at all.
Lee says
I initially thought they were connected too.
But fortunately close enough to warrant a double take of sorts.
Jim says
Are you certain that they are Japanese? I have seen similar shirts worn by crewmen on cargo vessels. May have been Russian or Greek ships.
Lee says
Can’t say 100% that they are Japanese as I didn’t speak to them, but definitely not people wearing a uniform. Similar looking, but their tops are actually different.
varebare says
Does bar owner just let them like that?I don’t think that they would let them to still be there in most the Europe just like that.
Lee says
Generally, yes. So long as they aren’t causing any problems. Despite its love of rules and regulations, Japan can be surprisingly lenient in some situations.