Toyohashi City

Of the fact that Japan likes to have a drink or two, there can be no doubt. This is the land of sake, ice cold Asahi, and numerous post-work highballs. It is a country where you can enjoy nomihoudai [all-you-can-drink] menus at almost every izakaya restaurant and then, at any time of the day or night, purchase a pick-me-up from the convenience store and drink it on the street and no one bats an eyelid. You can even have a tipple on the shinkansen bullet train, sold from trolleys right there on the train. You can even get drunk on a tram. Yes, on a tram. For 30 years The Noryo Beer Tram has been a common summer sight in the Aichi city of Toyohashi, just one hour outside of Nagoya. ‘Noryo’ means ‘enjoying the refreshment of the evening’, a word most readily associated with the twilight of hot summer days. And I think you can agree that this has been a particularly hot summer, and even as we slide into September, it is showing no sign of letting up. Getting Trollied on the Trolly Toyohashi City is one of only 17 cities across Japan with an operational streetcar service,…