Street drinking by foreigners in Shibuya rankling locals
In one case, two foreigners jumped on the back of garbage truck. About six months before, another climbed on the roof of a convenience store.
Both of those cases involved persons who had been drinking — and with summer here, Fuji News Network (July 11) reports that locals are upset at regular street drinking by foreigners in the area, which is now prohibited.
The focus is a Family Mart outlet on Shibuya Center-gai street in Udagawacho. On the night of July 10, the network brought a camera to the area after a torrential downpour.
By around 8:00 p.m., several foreigners had gathered at the aforementioned convenience store. Bottles in hand, they were drinking wine. (The network notes that there were also Japanese people drinking in the area.)
Before the network knew it, the number of people had swelled to about 20, completely blocking the entrance to the convenience store.
When the network confronted one male foreigner about street drinking, he insisted, 'It's okay. This is a convenience store, not the street. I don't drink on the street. I don't drink beer.' 'It's only 300 yen and you can get drunk!'
Starting from October 2024, an ordinance banned drinking in public places around JR Shibuya station between 6:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. daily. The goal is to reduce concerns about safety, noise and litter that comes with street-drinking.
This is the first summer since the restriction was put in place — and many do not seem to be paying attention.
When the network left the convenience store, there were bottles and empty cans scattered everywhere.
Drinking on the street continued even after 1:00 a.m. Among those partaking were some foreign women sitting on the premises of a building.
'If you're drinking in [inside a bar], you're not getting drunk, so this is what you get,' said one woman, who had missed her last train home. 'It's good value for the money! I mean, if you drink at a bar, it would cost thousands of yen. If you drink here, it's only 300 yen and you can get this drunk!'
The network noted that there have been many complaints from occupants of neighboring buildings over nuisance behavior.
Much like the man quoted earlier, the woman went on to say that she was not in violation of the ban since she was technically not standing in the street.
After saying she will dispose of her garbage, she continued, 'It's to stay hydrated [to beat the heat]. I'm going to live my life the way I want to. You only live once!' 'It's only 300 yen and you can get drunk!'
The clean-up afterward begins each morning. Everyday, representatives from the Shibuya Center Shopping District Promotion Association collect trash in the area.
The owner of a nearby restaurant told the network, 'It's because people don't follow the rules. Smoking on the street is also prohibited, but there were about 30 cigarette butts on the stairs of our building today.'
Tatsuji Suzuki, the chairman of the Shibuya Center Shopping District Promotion Association, said that the perception of street drinking needs to change. 'If you come to Shibuya and see a few people drinking on the street, people may misunderstand and think it is acceptable. So I think it's important for tour companies to spread the word and make announcements.'
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