Post #324770 by sushiman on Fri, Aug 10, 2007 4:42 PM

I guess I've been in Japan too long ( 22 years next month ) ...Over here , one can drink legally at the age of 20 . Before one reaches the age of 20 , one can drink in a restaurant or other public place when under a parent's or guardian's supervision ...In 21+ years in Japan I have never seen anyone get proofed ...Sure , some kids take advantage of this lack of enforcement , but honestly , we don't have a big problem with underage drinking in Japan . Beer and other liquors are still sold in street vending machines for chrissakes ! One of legal age can drink just about anywhere inc. public parks . One can actually walk down the streets of Tokyo drinking sake or beer ...

I now recall being back on Long Island a few years ago and walking from my parents front yard - which is 200 yards from the beach - down to the water for a swim carrying an open can of beer . A cop stopped and informed me that I could be arrested for walking the streets with an open can or bottle of an alcoholic beverage . I was ordered to return home and finish the beer . Oh , and I was perfectly sober at the time .

At age 40+ I have been proofed twice in the USA - once at an amusement park in Mass., and the other time at a restaurant at the Smithaven Mall on Long Island . Now , I do look young for my age , but this is ridiculous !

So , despite my aforementioned experiences , and being accustomed to the laws and their enforcement ( or lack thereof ) in Japan ( where I have spent the vast majority of my adult life ) , I must admit that when I started this thread I underestimated the seriousness of obtaining and using a fake ID in the Land Of The Free . After all , in a country where an adult can be arrested for standing on the side of the road in front of his or her house sipping on a beer ...

Geez , maybe the Hawaiian police are monitoring this thread , and my daughter and I will be under surveillance during our one week stay ?

[ Edited by: sushiman 2007-08-10 16:45 ]