If you are around any of the stations close to a late train in Tokyo, it is not uncommon to see a drunken salary man who has had better days. The Japanese businessman has a fairly stressful career of conformity, and sometimes the best way to relieve the stress after the boss has finally gone home, and they are free to leave is to hit the local bars and cafés.
Unlike many countries where it is mandatory or customary to refuse service to those who have had a little too much, in Japan it is considered rude to refuse service, or drinking a drink you are offered. So the good times can sometimes lead to a little too much to drink and a wobbly rush to make the last train home to the family.
Over the years many have slipped and fallen in the crush at the station in front of trains and met a tragic end, this is one of the reasons barriers are being installed at many of the busiest stations in Tokyo. Those who get home safely or spend the night in a cheap capsule hotel need to be up bright and early to beat the boss to work and have another long day at the office.
