In Tokyo’s Shibuya district, there has been a significant increase in the nuisance of “drinking on the streets” by foreign tourists and others. Issues such as littering, damage to store shutters, and poor manners have been a cause for concern, leading the district to initiate daily patrols starting from the 1st of this month.
■ Streets Turning Into Club-Like Atmosphere… Surge in Foreigners’ “Drinking on the Streets”
People drinking alcohol and making a commotion on the streets.
20s Student: “People who drink on the streets do it because they don’t have the money to go to an izakaya.”
20s Part-Timer: “Alcohol gets warm, so we want to drink it quickly, quickly. And when we do that, we end up getting drunk.”
Some people get drunk and sit down, and others even sleep on the streets.
The streets are overflowing with trash.
Furthermore, there has been a sudden increase in foreign tourists’ “drinking on the streets” in Shibuya. Some play music loudly from speakers while drinking, and some even dance, turning the streets into a club-like atmosphere.
American Male: “In America, you can’t drink on the streets. Here, you can drink on the streets, so it’s fine, right? It’s cool, it’s cool. (As long as you can control yourself after drinking), it should be fine.”
However, just 10 minutes later, he grabs a road sign and starts doing pull-ups, seemingly oblivious to people passing by.
Patrol Officer: “I told you that you can’t drink here.”
Foreign Male: “I was just about to move, actually.”
■ The District Announces Measures – Mayor: “The streets are not party venues”
Some stores have been damaged by people drinking on the streets.
Nishimura Kiyoshi, Manager of Sanzenri Yakuhin Udagawa Store: “Do you see these dents? (After closing), after we’ve left, drunk people gather here and do things like this. It’s happened many times. (Q: How much does it cost to repair the shutter?) Around 100,000 yen or so.”
Shibuya Ward has announced new measures to combat this troublesome drinking on the streets, known as the “Zero Public Nuisance Street Drinking Declaration.”
Hasebe Ken, Mayor of Shibuya Ward: “The streets are not party venues. We want to eliminate the culture of drinking on the streets.”
■ Daily Patrols – A Game of Cat and Mouse
Patrol Officer: “In Shibuya Ward, trash from drinking on the streets has become a significant problem.”
Starting from the 1st, every day from 8 PM to 5 AM, a team of six people, including English-speaking security guards, conducts patrols in places like Center Street.
Patrol Officer: “Good evening. Drinking alcohol on the streets is not allowed.”
Foreign Female: “Really?”
Foreign Male: “Should we leave right now?”
Officer: “It’s endless, like a cat and mouse game. If you move away a bit, they gather again.”
Some are drinking beer on the streets. Furthermore, some foreigners shout loudly and provoke women walking by.
Australian Male: “What are you looking at?”
■ “Drinking on the Streets” Popular on Social Media – Convenience Store Area Becomes a Tourist Attraction
Why do people drink on the streets in Shibuya? Four Filipino visitors to Japan and their Japanese friend say the following:
Filipino Male: “Meeting different people, drinking cheaply, and having a good time.”
Filipino Female: “Drinking on the streets is fun. We just keep drinking.”
Japanese Female: “When you think of Shibuya, it’s like having ‘one can’ in front of the convenience store. It has become a culture among foreigners, and they want to experience it.”
Patrol Officer: “They gather through social media, like Facebook and Instagram. This place has become a well-known spot for foreigners.”
Among foreign tourists and others, the scene of street drinking in Shibuya has become popular on social media.
“Drinking on the streets” in front of convenience stores in Shibuya’s Center Street has become a tourist attraction.
However, the area in front of the convenience store where people drink on the streets is covered in trash.
American Male: “It feels like staying in Shibuya until the last train. (Q: Did you drink these cans?) No, no, no. If someone cleans it up. It’s like this because of the situation, so it can’t be helped.”
Congolese Man Living in Japan: “It’s already bad here. It’s always bad. People throw things outside, and it’s very dirty. It’s a bit embarrassing.”
Restaurant Employee: “Trash is just there as if it’s normal. It’s quite bad. When customers see it when entering the store, they might not want to come in. It’s unpleasant.”
Furthermore, it’s interfering with convenience store delivery operations.
Patrol Officer: “We need to make a delivery. We can’t get the packages through.”
■ Foreigners Collapsing on the Streets with Empty Bottles of Alcohol Nearby
Near the Scramble Crossing, a group of four Indonesians were lying down as if piled on top of each other.
Indonesian Male: “While waiting for the train. We got drunk around 2 o’clock. It’s hopeless. I can’t drink anymore.”
Patrol Officer: “Good morning.”
Foreigners collapsing on the streets. Right beside them are empty alcohol bottles.
Patrol Officer: “This is your mobile phone, right? I’ll put it in your bag. Hold onto your bag tightly.”
Foreign Male: “Thank you. You’re a lovely person. (Q: Where are you from?) Where am I from? Mexico.”
Patrol Officer: “Are you taking the first train?”
Mexican Male: “Yes. I think my friend will come to pick me up.”
Even when it’s raining, foreigners continue drinking on the streets without a care. Some have umbrellas, but there’s no sign of them moving.
A group of Germans and Americans who wanted to drink on the streets in Shibuya…
American Male: “(Q: Please make sure to take the cans back and throw them away.) Yes, we will, we will. I will (make sure to do it properly).”
They promised to throw the empty beer cans in the trash but left them on the streets. However, they seemed to realize they were being filmed and hurriedly returned to put the cans in the convenience store’s trash bin.
Source
