The Japanese don't consider drinking alcohol a negative thing in at all. Some people even think that if you don't drink, you are a bit strange. The drinking of alcohol is so much so accepted, that they even show adults in cartoons drinking alcohol.
Anyways, during the lesson the homeroom teacher was asked to talk about Japanese New Years traditions and then compare them to American traditions. In one of my more rowdy classes the teacher pointed out the toasting picture and (remember that I don't fully understand their language yet but...) I think he asked them if they drink a little bit of alcohol to celebrate the New Years.
He even made a gesture of drinking a little bit out of his hand. I was guessing that that's what he would do with his kids. But some of the kids said yes, they do taste some alcohol during the celebration, which wasn't surprising to me.
I once heard of my co-worker going to a hot spring that was infused with ume (sour plumb) alcohol and people could order countless ume drinks and even pour it into the water. He went on to tell me that there were a few kids that were actually drinking the water that they were bathing in and some drunk men began to pour their drinks into their mouths, after being asked by the kids, and the kids parents thought it was quite funny and clapped their hands to show their amusement to what was happening.
Anyways, what actually shocked me was when one child said that he sometimes drinks "kodomo biiru" (children's beer). I was like WWHHHAAAAATTT! That's a real thing?!!! And apparently it is. I guess the alcohol companies know how to start them off young.
Watch these kids. They be acting crazy in the beginning in the video and they're not even drunk yet.
A few kid approved beers.
