TOKYO (TR) – Despite a local ordinance banning the practice, street drinking has made a massive comeback in Shibuya Ward during the Golden Week holidays.
As a reporting crew for TV Asahi (Apr. 5) found one night, the revelers are bringing with them a wave of public intoxication, littering and missing property.
As midnight approached, emergency calls started flooding in. Near the iconic “Scramble Crossing” at JR Shibuya Station, paramedics were seen loading a heavily intoxicated woman onto a stretcher after she collapsed at the entrance of a commercial building. Just meters away, oblivious crowds continued to guzzle alcohol on the streets.
By 1:00 a.m. in the bustling Center Gai district, large groups — including many foreign tourists —were seen drinking openly, blatantly ignoring ward patrol staff.
In one instance, a man pocketed his canned beverage when warned by patrols, only to pull it back out and resume drinking the moment they walked away. Empty cans and bottles littered the pavement.
Some foreigners showed little regard for the local bylaws.
“I know the rules, but I’m from New York, and anything goes,” one foreign man drinking on the street said. “When I get drunk, I forget the rules. I’m almost finished, so forgive me.”
Locals also
Locals also contributed to the chaos, with many claiming ignorance. One Japanese woman told reporters she thought the street drinking ban only applied during Halloween. “It’s cheap to drink outside, and the weather is great right now,” she said.
As the clock struck 2:00 a.m., the casualties of the night began to pile up on the sidewalks.
One man in his 20s, clutching a nearly empty two-liter bottle of water, sat slumped on the ground after striking out at local clubs. “I’m single and came looking for a woman with fox-like eyes, but I lost,” he told reporters. “My friends are still inside fighting the battle. But if they win, it’s like I win.”
Others faced much more severe consequences. One man found completely sprawled out and sleeping on the pavement was roused, only to discover his belongings had vanished.
“I don’t have my wallet. No wallet, no phone. I can’t go home,” the man said, explaining he lived in Kawaguchi City, Saitama Prefecture. He claimed he had entrusted his valuables to a coworker he was drinking with, but the friend had disappeared. “He threw me away on the side of the road.”
A passerby and officers at a nearby koban (police box) attempted to call the man’s phone, but the device had been turned off, indicating it was likely stolen.
“It’s impossible. I’m completely screwed,” the stranded man lamented.
Compliance has plummeted
Shibuya Ward implemented a ban on nighttime street drinking two years ago to combat littering and public sleeping. While the ordinance initially cut the number of street drinkers by more than half, compliance has plummeted.
Ward officials note that nightly patrols will continue, but as the weather warms up, the daily cat-and-mouse game between authorities and drunken revelers shows no signs of stopping.
