Ep.93 "Toriaezu Biiru": Why Everyone Orders the Same Drink

<p>Welcome to Episode 93 of Real Japanese Talk with Haruka &amp; Saki! 🗼🐙</p><p><br></p><p>🍻 Saki&#39;s friend was the only person at the table who ordered wine - and everyone had to sit and wait. There is a reason Japanese drinking parties start with the same drink, and it isn&#39;t that everybody loves beer. 🎯</p><p><br></p><p>You&#39;ll learn three words:</p><p><br></p><p>• 乾杯 (kanpai) - the toast; raising glasses together and starting to drink</p><p><br></p><p>• 注ぐ (tsugu) - to pour a drink, usually for somebody else</p><p><br></p><p>• 付き合い (tsukiai) - the socialising that keeps a relationship going</p><p><br></p><p>💡 Inside: why nobody drinks before the toast, and how that single rule explains &quot;toriaezu biiru&quot; - beer arrives fastest, so ordering it gets everyone in step; the glass-height rule when toasting with someone senior; why you don&#39;t pour your own drink in Japan, how to hold the bottle (label up, both hands), and the habit of watching your neighbour&#39;s glass; 「飲みニケーション」 and why it&#39;s fading, including the fact that pressuring people to drink is no longer acceptable; the first, second and even third round; and the simple advice for visitors - match the group on drink one, then order whatever you want.</p><p><br></p><p>Perfect for N4-N3 learners heading to Japan for work. Tokyo &amp; Kansai dialogue, fully shadowable. Full transcript &amp; study notes on Patreon. 🎧</p><p><br></p><p><strong>【Today&#39;s Vocabulary / 今日の言葉】</strong></p><p>・乾杯 (かんぱい) - A toast; &quot;cheers.&quot; The characters mean &quot;dry the cup,&quot; though nobody is expected to empty it. As a verb it takes 「に」 for what you&#39;re toasting: 「合格に乾杯！」. The important cultural point is procedural - 「乾杯」 marks the moment drinking begins, so glasses are not touched before it, and someone senior usually says a few words first. Note the more formal 「献杯」 (kenpai), used at memorial gatherings, where glasses are raised but not clinked. Related words: 「一杯」 (ippai, one glass), 「飲み会」 (nomikai, a drinking party), 「お疲れさま」 (otsukaresama, the standard greeting that precedes it).</p><p>・注ぐ (つぐ) - To pour a drink. In social settings the reciprocal habit matters: 「注ぎ合う」 (to keep each other&#39;s glasses filled) and 「お酌をする」 (oshaku wo suru, to pour for someone) describe an evening where nobody fills their own glass. Note the near-twin 「注ぐ」 read as そそぐ, which is broader - pouring liquid generally, and also devoting effort or attention (「力を注ぐ」). The polite request is 「お注ぎし