Photo/Illutration “Alcohol-taste beverage” products with an alcohol content of below 1 percent are awarded “Japan's Dish of the Year” prize by Gurunavi Inc. (The Asahi Shimbun)

A “Kamigata rakugo” style of comic story-telling number that originated in the Kansai region is about a travelling man who walks into a village eatery and orders “sake.”

The owner tells him the region is famous for three brands of sake, namely, “Murasame,” “Niwasame” and “Jikisame.”

The owner explains that Murasame lets the drinker sober up by the time he leaves the village (mura).

“What about Niwasame?” the man asks.

“You sober up when you go out into the garden (niwa),” answers the owner, who then goes on to explain, “With Jikisame, you sober up immediately (jiki) with each sip.”

Clearly, the latter brand is watered down and I can well imagine the man’s disappointment.

How would he feel about what’s called “arukoru teisuto inryo” (literally, alcohol-taste beverages)?

It denotes drinks that taste like beer or a cocktail but have an alcohol content of less than 1 percent.

Beverages in this category appear to have become a godsend for eating and drinking establishments where serving liquor became problematic due to the COVID-19 crisis.

These drinks earned the title “Japan’s Dish of the Year” by Gurunavi, the nation’s leading online restaurant guide site.

I have begun to notice more of these ultra-low-alcohol beverages at supermarkets this year. Their popularity is said to reflect a growing trend among young people to shy away from booze.

Many people regard getting plastered as a waste of time or they simply don’t want to drink and lose control, according a recent Asahi Shimbun report.

But alcohol also has the power to stimulate lively conversation and inspire terrific ideas.

Perhaps it is useless to bother with such arguments seeing as some new low-alcohol products taste better than beer. Actually, they have become my go-to tipple when, once in a while, I decide to give my liver a rest.

Now that I think of it, there were fewer hungover people even before the pandemic started.

A song depicting “salarymen” of yore, immortalized by comedian Hitoshi Ueki (1926-2007), went, “Even when feeling dopy from my hangover/ The clang of the time recorder when I clock in ... .”

Those days are long gone.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Dec. 11

* * *

Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

Related News