Now that we're well out of cherry-blossom season, the next round of outdoor drinking parties will take us out into the beer garden.
The muggy heat may seem tolerable only with an ice-cold ale in hand, but clinical psychologist Jim McRae says drinking shouldn't be the only way to let off steam.
"I think problems with alcohol are not well understood by the general population of Japan," he says. "What surprises people (who are new to Japan) is that there's a lot of social pressure to drink, especially with work groups. Because the custom is that you pour someone else's beer before you pour for yourself, if there's any space in your glass for someone to pour beer into it, they will."