4 months in Japan and I don't like tea, will this be a problem?

Question

I keep reading about restaurants in Japan serving free tea with meals which would be awesome for my budget if only I liked tea! I want to know if this will be a huge snag or if maybe I'll like the tea there (I have no idea if it's any different than the tea made here in America, Virginia specifically).

Answer 1

Although I can drink tea, I don't really like it, either. It's not a big problem in restaurants. You can always ask for water, and most will also offer various soda/pop, like Coke. Juice is also often offered.

It's not really a problem at all not to drink tea. There are times when it would be more polite just to drink the tea, but water is at least a good and safe thing to request.

Answer 2

I don't think it will be a problem either. Plenty of places I went to just gave me water automatically, and others kind of left the tea cups on the table and let me decide whether or not I wanted to make the tea. They gave me water if I asked for it. The only times I had a problem, I was faced with a vending machine and couldn't find the just plain water, but there was always something else in the machine to drink if I didn't want the iced green tea. Seriously though, I do recommend giving Japanese green tea a shot. It is a bit different from any of the green teas I've tried over here and I like it better. You shouldn't have a problem if you don't like it, though.

Answer 3

Not at all!  

Water is readily available at Japanese restaurants for free, as well as a variety of other drinks.  And, on almost every corner, you'll find a wide variety of drinks in vending machines -- from tea to coffee (both hot and cold) to sodas to medicinal drinks!

The tea served in Japan is very different from American sweet iced tea, but I have a feeling if you're not a fan of American tea, you won't love Japanese o-cha either:)

Answer 4

Just ask for water.  I like tea with sugar, and my husband looks at me like I am crazy

(I also realized my sister add the same amount of sugar and we stir our tea the same way when we all went to lunch).

Water with lemon adds flavor and it's free.

Tea in Japan is different.  But if you don't like tea here, then you won't like tea there. You can try it, if you like it then there you go. If you don't, ask for water.

Answer 5

Nah, I don't like tea either and it's never been a problem for me.

Most restaurants do not serve free tea (they charge you). What they serve for free is water. Don't sweat it, it won't be a problem.

Answer 6

Restaurants won't force you to drink their free hot tea or water.

If you don't want to drink it just let it leave. Nobody cares bout it.

Japanese green tea is perhaps not American tea like you imagined basically.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_tea#J...