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What You Need to Know About Japan’s Legal Drinking Age

December 13, 2023July 16, 2024Asia, Japan, Travel BigBody Leave a Comment

During my three months based in Osaka, Japan, I drank a lot of alcohol. No, really. I drank a lot. And that is coming from an existence that already sees a non-zero sum of alcohol consumed somewhat regularly. I attribute this increased consumption to the fact that Japanese dining is complemented perfectly with an ice-cold draft beer (nama beeru) or Chuhai (shochu highball), warm or cold sake, or even a dry red or slightly sweet white wine (the ultimate pairing with sushi).

Japan’s drinking culture is unlike anywhere else in the world – for better or worse. It’s not just the varieties of quality alcohol that you can find in Japan, it’s the vibrancy and depth of the venues to drink it at.

From drinking casual beers and Chuhais while sitting under a bridge along the Yodogawa River (one of my personal favorite memories) to raucous, brash, crowded nightclubs in Osaka and Tokyo, all the way to back alley izakayas and yakitori joints, high-end Japanese whiskey bars, and assorted “nomihoudai” (all you can drink) bars scattered across the country (and everything in between), Japan has it all when it comes to drinking culture, nightlife, and alcohol. If you want a draft beer at Yoshinoya, one of Japan’s most popular gyudon fast food restaurants, you can imbibe as well.

To ensure that you don’t miss out on one of the most robust and unique drinking (and dining) cultures in the world, you might be asking yourself, “What is the legal drinking age in Japan?”

Read on to find out how old you need to be to legally drink alcohol in Japan along with other important Japanese alcohol laws to know.

8 Christmas Date Ideas in Hong Kong to Unlock Your Own Winter Rom-Com

December 9, 2023October 22, 2024Asia, Hong Kong, Travel BigBody Leave a Comment

‘Tis the season for requited love. Or unrequited love. Or that unspoken “group love” that your parents partake in every year in their late 60s when they go down to Jamaica for ‘Hedonism 47’ with ‘Aunt Sally’ and ‘Uncle Jim’ – who you only found out when you turned 18 weren’t related by blood. Whatever the case, love, tinsel, gingerbread cookies, and your local middle school’s rendition of ‘The Nutcracker’ are in the air – and it’s time to celebrate.

I have to be honest with you. Up until several years ago when I moved back to Hong Kong, Christmas was one of my least favorite holidays. Something about the shove-it-down-your-throat consumer and brand tribalism, needing to shovel my car out of several feet of snow regularly, and the fact that I literally could (still can’t) never figure out who the ‘Sugar Plum Fairy’ was in the Nutcracker until post-intermission, all were major factors that fueled this “bah humbug” mentality.

Now, I can’t get enough of it. Not because of the LED flatscreen televisions that sync with your frontal lobe and can be purchased via Amazon with a single click of a button, or the catchy Christmas jingles (found in every major Hong Kong mall) that bury themselves deep into your brain to the point where you end up in a content, infantile stupor like Danny Devito (aka ‘Martini’) in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, or Hong Kong’s weather finally being palatable and not requiring you to take three showers every day.

What You Need to Know About the Legal Drinking Age in Thailand

December 3, 2023July 17, 2024Asia, Thailand, Travel BigBody Leave a Comment

Thailand isn’t just renowned as a cultural, spiritual, and gastronomical epicenter of Asia, it’s also one of the premier go-to drinking and nightlife destinations for every type of libation enthusiast out there. Trust me, I’ve tested this out far more than the human body should theoretically be able to handle.

From raucous backpacker streets with free-flowing beer towers (and funky balloons) to sophisticated rooftop bars and cocktail lounges of world-class five-star hotels, to the bustling, salacious walking streets found across every corner of the country, smokey convivial BBQ beer gardens, and creative high-ABV craft beer bars and breweries, “of age” drinkers can pick whatever type of poison tickles their fancy in the ‘Land of Smiles’.

But what exactly is the legal drinking age in Thailand?

While you might think that the drinking age is similar to neighboring Asian countries, you might just be surprised to find that Thailand’s drinking age differs significantly. Read on to find out more about important alcohol laws in Thailand so that you don’t end up on the next season of ‘Locked Up Abroad’.

What’s the Legal Drinking Age in Vietnam? (2024)

November 30, 2023November 30, 2023Asia, Travel, Vietnam BigBody 2 Comments

If you’re traveling to Vietnam, you may be asking yourself, “What’s the legal drinking age in Vietnam?” Maybe you heard how Vietnam is the top country in Asia for beer consumption (fact) and want a taste for yourself. Maybe you heard about the country’s burgeoning craft beer scene to provide depth to an already formidable domestic beer landscape. Or, maybe you just want to purchase a few local brews from your nearest convenience store and drink them on the street without any hassle.

The very first step towards accomplishing all of that (and then some) is understanding Vietnam’s drinking laws.

Having lived in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam for over one year (with regular month-long stints since), I can emphatically state that this is one of the best countries in the world when it comes to a thriving and communal beer culture, both classy and hectic nightlife, and boozy brunches and other alcohol-related activities (ex. Ax throwing with craft beers).

Let’s take a look at what you need to know about drinking alcohol in Vietnam.

What’s the Legal Drinking Age in Hong Kong? (2024)

November 28, 2023November 28, 2023Asia, Hong Kong, Travel BigBody Leave a Comment

If you’re coming to Hong Kong (or in the midst of growing up here) and looking to get your alcohol fix at one of the city’s countless (timeless) British pubs (for a cheeky quiz night), world-class cocktail bars or lounges, raucous and sweaty night clubs, communal 7-11s (which are an institution in their own right), or other bustling watering holes, you might be wondering what the actual legal drinking age in Hong Kong is.

As someone who moved to Hong Kong at 21, coming hot off of the United States’ archaic drinking and liquor laws, I was in awe at just how different this city was from my hometown and how nothing was off-limits (for better or worse).

Find out everything you need to know about drinking alcohol in Hong Kong.

36 Pros and Cons of Living in New Hampshire in 2024: By a Born & Bred Granite Stater

November 25, 2023November 29, 2023New Hampshire, North America, Travel BigBody 2 Comments

When I first meet someone and they ask where I’m from, I always make it a point to emphasize that, first and foremost, I’m from New Hampshire, and an American second. I’m an impassioned flannel and Columbia fleece wearer, a reformed Hampton Beach “beach bum” who would poach his Powerade to mix with gin from the now-closed down McDonald’s on Ocean Boulevard, a Las Olas die-hard (extra guac and still trying to figure out why the lines are so inefficient), and someone who has been thrown out of the now desolate, anachronistic Fox Run Mall for loitering more than I’d care to admit.

I may be considered “simple folk” by the (self-anointed) big city socialites of New York, Los Angeles, and Miami (I’m the proud owner of the ‘White Trash Cookbook”) but I rest easy at the end of the day knowing where I’m from and who I am because of it. Also, if I’m talking to a Brit, I always place a heavy emphasis on the term ‘New’ and inevitably throw in a barb or two about our defection to the New World to establish the ‘New’ England. It never lands as well as I think it will.

As you can tell, I’m proud to be from New Hampshire and I couldn’t imagine having grown up anywhere else.

What Are People From Hong Kong Called? Learn This Before Traveling Here

November 15, 2023November 15, 2023Asia, Hong Kong, Travel BigBody Leave a Comment

If you’re traveling to or moving to Hong Kong, you might be unsure of what exactly to refer to the local Hong Kong population as and want to avoid offending someone by accidentally referring to them as ‘Chinese’ or ‘British’. That’s completely understandable due to confusion over Hong Kong’s Special Administrative Region (SAR) status, previous positioning as a British Colony (up until 1997), and its official 1997 “return” to China.

27 Pros and Cons of Living in Ho Chi Minh City as a Foreigner

November 12, 2023December 3, 2023Asia, Travel, Vietnam BigBody Leave a Comment

I moved to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) on somewhat of a whim, as I was coming hot off the end of a tempestuous relationship and in the throes of great uncertainty as to what my future held (I still am to some degree). I moved with no real foresight or preparation, inspired solely by an offhand comment made by a buddy I knew from Taiwan who had recently set up shop in the city. What piqued my interest was that he couldn’t stop raving about it. With nothing more than my suitcase and absolutely zero expectations (in fact, I was expecting the worst), I hopped a several-hour Eva Airways flight over from Taipei and touched down in the “Pearl of the Far East.”

Little did I know that moving to Ho Chi Minh City would lead to one of the most formative years of my life (from 28 to 29). Since then, I’ve been unable to get enough of the city and frequently go back for extended periods to connect with old friends, slug a few Saigon Bias, chow down on some goat curry BBQ with donkey milk, and recreate that palpable energy and feelings I experienced after first landing.

At this point, it’s a city that is part of my life for good and one that I will always be back to – I can’t wait to see what it has in store for me (and you) in the future.

If you’re considering moving to this vibrant, dynamic, and hectic city, and want to know what I loved and couldn’t care for in the city, here are 27 pros and cons of living in Ho Chi Minh City as a foreigner. For the purposes of this article, I will use Ho Chi Minh City and Saigon interchangeably!

What’s New in Hong Kong November 2023 Events You Should Check Out

November 5, 2023November 5, 2023Asia, Hong Kong, Travel BigBody Leave a Comment

Maybe it’s just me. But I don’t really ever get too excited for November. That may be the reason why I’m several days late with this. It’s both November and February that I always find to be two months where I mentally exist in limbo. For me, I attribute it to burnout from October festivities (I’m writing this trying to expel the liters of Oktoberfest Lowenbrau I threw back), the cold reality hitting me that November is a month of buckling down work-wise, and knowing that Thanksgiving just doesn’t taste as sweet when you aren’t sharing a green bean casserole with your mother.

However, I’m trying to turn that around and start giving November the credit it’s due. After all, November was my month of birth on my fake Ohio ID in college (for which I chose the Greekest name possible – I’m also set to celebrate my fake 36th birthday on the 21st), the month I learned how to make a pumpkin pie courtesy of Martha Stewart tutorials when I was a stay-at-home-son (at the ripe old age of 24), and the month my ex-girlfriend gifted me the coziest flannel I’ve ever worn (only to steal it back 9 months later).

Is There Uber in Hong Kong? Guide to the World’s Most Popular Ride-Sharing App

October 25, 2023July 17, 2024Asia, Hong Kong, Travel BigBody Leave a Comment

Reporting live on the ground from Hong Kong, this is Big Body with your evening news. Tonight’s story, “Is there Uber in Hong Kong?” This is a common question I’m asked by friends (and the occasional reader) traveling from the U.S. to Hong Kong.

If you’re like me, you don’t always carry cash on you and want to ensure that you have a backup means to get around in case you forget to stock up on some cold hard $HKD. Or maybe, you just prefer the solitude and cleanliness of a fully manicured Uber Black. Or maybe you’re a crypto evangelist who got demolished on 100x leverage DeFi moonshots, has turned to UBER call options, and is now trying to personally inject some pennies into the bottom line by Ubering to work so that your fiancé doesn’t leave you and take the dog with her. Been there, done that, got called a “loser” (actually worse) on r/WallStreetBets, and picked up the t-shirt along the way.

Whatever the case, it’s a reasonable question to ask.

10 Pros and Cons of Living in Mid-Levels, Hong Kong

October 10, 2023November 25, 2023Asia, Hong Kong, Travel BigBody Leave a Comment

When moving to Hong Kong, it can be difficult to know exactly what district or neighborhood will suit your lifestyle requirements before you even arrive. The city comprises countless districts, neighborhoods, and pockets, all of which boast their own benefits and drawbacks (and charm) – some you might not believe exist in the same city due to the stark contrast to one another.

Maybe you are more of a beach bum, looking to start your day off with Vitamin D and a morning surf, then Sai Kung might be your little slice of heaven. Or maybe you want a raucous, vibrant maze of both new and old Hong Kong (with fantastic street food), then Mongkok or Jordan might be right up your alley. Or maybe you’re in need of a quiet, residential neighborhood that is only a stone’s throw away from your office and the hustle and bustle of the city. Well, then Mid-Levels might be your place.

As someone who has lived in Mid-Levels for all six-plus years that I’ve existed in Hong Kong (I’m just a creature of habit), here are 10 pros and cons to paint a better picture of what you can expect should you decide to stop, drop, and open up shop in this surprisingly large area. Keep in mind that most of my observations are coming from someone who has lived in Mid-Levels Central.

36 Pros and Cons of Living in Hong Kong as an Expat

October 9, 2023September 30, 2024Asia, Hong Kong, Travel BigBody Leave a Comment

Analyzing the pros and cons of living in Hong Kong can be difficult before you even step foot in the city. Typically, my approach is a bit of a haphazard one where I just show up and hope that it works out. Luckily, that has worked out in almost every single city (and country) that I’ve lived in. It worked out so well in Hong Kong that it is somewhere I’ve called home for the last three years (and six-plus in total) – with no intention of leaving (at least for now).

This isn’t a symmetrical pros and cons of living in Hong Kong type of list, where I list a positive and then counter with a related negative. It’s strictly just a list of pros and cons that have come to the top of my dome, with several thoughts, anecdotes, and tips to accompany each. Each pro and con could be a blog post in itself but for the sake of brevity, I’ll keep it (relatively) digestible.

So, if you’re curious about what I love most about living in the aptly named Fragrant Harbor and what I’m not as enthusiastic about, then here are 36 pros and cons of living in Hong Kong as an expat.