Comments on: On Not Walking While Drinking Soda in Japan

By: On Inventing Yourself in Japan | This Japanese Life. | 生命を外面九天です

On Inventing Yourself in Japan | This Japanese Life. | 生命を外面九天です — Wed, 08 May 2013 13:46:12 +0000

[...] I embraced adaptation, priding myself on not walking while drinking soda, then finding myself panicking, too far on the other side of the line, when I’d realized how [...]

By: Laura

Laura — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 02:20:29 +0000

Have you ever tried to drink soda and walk at the same time? Burp city, with a heightened risk of upchuck.

Enjoyed this entry. And damn right I miss smoke breaks.

By: David

David — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 22:38:38 +0000

I wouldn’t know where you’re from, the very fact you’re asking this question would tell me.
Because the real question is not “why doesn’t anyone drink and walk in Japan?” but:
“Why do some nationalities *cough* Americans *cough* can’t consider eating or drinking an activity in itself and they always feel the need to do something else at the same time as if eating or drinking was a waste of time?”. :-)

By: owwls

owwls — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 03:32:09 +0000

The day after this post went up I saw a kid with a Coke can (it always seems to be Coke) walking and drinking at the same time. But he also had an American flag hat.

It occurred to me, though, that this walking-drinking prohibition might be more useful in densely populated cities such as Japan’s.

By: owwls

owwls — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 03:30:14 +0000

There’s a lot about Kyudo that is a lot of fun, but I am not sure that doing it is one of them.

By: owwls

owwls — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 03:29:17 +0000

Thanks for that Richard! Fantastic research. :) It never occurred that the walking-drinking prohibition may be accountable to lack of skill.

As for the ウ ending – as Homer Simpson would say, ドウ! I simply translated the wikipedia spelling directly, but I like yours better.

For the record, I have never boasted about my dismal Japanese abilities. :)

By: Richard

Richard — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 03:20:20 +0000

I decided to carry out a highly scientific study by looking at a couple of Japanese pages I found via Google. First page asks the question: are you good at drinking soft drinks from a can while walking?
http://kotonoha.cc/no/41603
There are many opinions. Loads of people say they can’t do it and it spills. Only a couple of people say it’s bad manners. However, a surprising number say they both can and do – maybe these net-savvy youngsters have lost contact with traditional Japanese culture. “I was surprised when I saw my friend stopping and standing,” one says. “I can eat bread too,” another boasts. One person is more regretful. “I used to ride my bicycle with bread in one hand and a can of juice in the other. Now I think of it, it must have been extremely bothersome.”

On another page, someone asks a question to the Japanese equivalent of Yahoo! Answers (Chiebukuro – the bag o’knowledge).
http://detail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp/qa/question_detail/q1214500337
“My friend can’t drink while walking. She always stops to drink. Is this kind of person unusual?” The people answering make comments about worrying about spilling the drink, or it being difficult to walk, drink and lift their face [when making conversation presumably]. But the question is interesting, right?

I’m not sure what to make of all this. I do see Japanese people walking and drinking, but not a whole lot. Maybe there are more walking drinkers in the big cities. For those that don’t it seems to be a version of your Theory 2, although I think a lot of people are just as worried about spilling drink on themselves as other people. I guess it’s a vicious circle where many Japanese people don’t practise walking and drinking, so they never get good enough to do it without spilling. :)

“Vendo’s “do” ending means “the way of,” and puts vending machine loitering in the category of martial arts: Bushido, Kendo, Kyudo, Vendo.” I feel a bit idiotic pointing out you should have a ウ at the end of ヴェンド at the top of the page. But maybe you should.

By: Emily

Emily — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 00:52:54 +0000

Although there are no garbage cans anywhere but conbini, every single vending machine has a bin for empty cans/bottles. I guess this promotes the vendo concept as well?

And oooh, you started Kyudo? How is it going?

By: Blue Shoe

Blue Shoe — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 22:48:25 +0000

I have seen (Japanese) people drinking and/or eating while walking, but you’re right, it is very rare. I don’t know about drinking, but I have heard/been told that eating while walking is kind of rude, because “people around you don’t know how to react.” As if seeing someone eating while walking requires some kind of reaction!

By: Travis

Travis — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 16:02:41 +0000

This brings back fond memories of my first day in Fukuoka when you enlightened me on the vendo concept :-)