If the nightlife is lacking or you just don’t feel like trudging through the snow, there is no shame in getting together for an in-room apres party. Best of all, you can all huddle around the Kodansha and keep warm. Be mindful of the vibe. At ski villages where locals live & work, there are policies against public displays of drunkenness (that’s why the Japanese invented Karaoke). Don't be too noisy if you are amongst a group of hardcore who are likely to get up at dawn for first tracks. It’s not uncommon to hear raucous ski groups carrying on till curfew time and then absolute silence straight after. Be a good guest, no noise past curfew
For supplies, scope out the local kombini or resort shop for drinks & snacks. The great thing about Japan is the sheer variety. Most kombinis even devote an entire section to snacks made for accompanying drinks. Here are our recommendations for the items you need for a DIY apres party.
Japanese Drinking Snacks
Cheeza
Cheezas are little crunchy pizza shaped biscuits which are packed with 53% real cheese. A perfect compliment to beer. They also have different cheese flavours (cheddar, camembert etc) and different intensities (53%, 77% ). Look out for other ‘za’s such as Avocadooza (Avocado), Gomaza (Black Sesame) & Lobster.
Kit Kat
Japan has a serious infatuation with kit kat with a seemingly endless range of flavours.
This is where you can try flavours such as Rum & Raisin, adzuki read bean, sake, tokyo banana
and our favourite matcha green tea. Pick these up from the food section at Don Quijote or kombinis.
Bokun Habanero (Tyrant Habanero)
Don’t let the imposing packaging featuring a demon chilli figure.scare you off. These potato rings are actually not too hot with just the right spice and flavour.
Jagabee
Calbee Jagabees are little french fry shaped snacks which come in a a variety of different flavours, with some using premium potatoes.
Drinking Games
You can find a couple of luck chance games in Japanese stores. Super Pirate is a game where players insert swords into a barrel which hides a pirate. The losing player is the one who lets the pirate escape. Godzilla / Crocodile / Bulldog Dentist requires players to press on the creature’s teeth until one unlucky player presses on the tooth which causes the mouth to chomp down on their finger.
Drinking Costumes
Why not kick the apres partying up a notch by donning costumes. Shops in the cities like Don Quijote, Tokyu Hands & Daiso sell a variety of weird & wacky costumes you will find only in Japan. Now you have the occasion to wear one.
