How is Marijuana viewed in mainstream Japanese culture?

Question

I am currently planning to pursue a minor in Japanese and am meeting with a councilor soon to discuss possibly studying abroad next fall. I have a lot of questions to get answered before I make my decision but this is one I would rather not ask a school official haha.

Basically what I'm looking for is insight into how it is received by people living in urban Japan. Obviously I know its illegal, but among students and young adults is it as widely accepted as here in the States? If I conduct myself in a responsible way and people understand I'm not a bum can they live with my recreational use or would it be best to keep it private?

Answer 1

it's a serious offense here. you will get whole publicity in the night news, with your name, age, and residential address. actually you might not cos you're gaijin. if you are japanese, you might end up in the news. over here, it's viewed just as illegal as special K, meth or excrement like that.

there's no middle ground here. that's a good thing considering that aside of the western urban myth that ganja is safe, it is counted as a factor that inflicts psychizophrenia according to DSM-IV (diagonostic standard for mental health)

Answer 2

Wow, I'm feeling a lot of judgment here... your lifestyle choices are your own.

And there's a certain amount of mis-information as well.  Yes it's true that on the surface of Japanese society drugs of any kind are pretty unacceptable.  That's true in most countries, but the feeling seems stronger in Japan.  But dig a little deeper and surprise, surprise, Japan hasn't managed to do what every other country in the world has also failed to do and escape from drugs.. much as the Japanese don't (won't) believe it, and also would have you believe the same.  It tends to get swept under the carpet or passed of as other things.

I knew many young Japanese who smoked weed, sometimes privately, sometimes together.  But if you're going to be a foreigner living in Japan I personally wouldn't risk it, even if I was interested in that kind of thing.  If you're caught as a foreigner your punishment is likely to be more stringent and more likely to be enforced than that of a dysfunctional kid of some local family.  I kinda doubt they'd throw you in jail for personal use of marijuana (although they could), I think they're more likely to just kick you out of Japan.  Probably not worth the risk imo.

Answer 3

I would be careful.  From what I gather, it is much more than a slap on the wrist if you get caught smoking some mj in Japan.   Drugs in general (other than for medicinal purposes) are looked down upon in Japan, and people have no qualms calling the cops on foreigners.  It's best to not do it if you can avoid it, otherwise you might be deported or worse.  The law system isn't quite as free as the one that you might be used to either...

Answer 4

It is not well accepted by mainstream Japan and if you as a foreigner are caught with it the penalty will be severe and you can expect jail time and deportation. It is not looked at in the same way as it is in the U.S. There is no tolerance at all for it.

Answer 5

One joint = 6 months to a year in jail.Seeing you not from Japan, look forward to the year. Good Luck.

Answer 6

As Carl and the others have said, this isn't a bright idea.Japanese jails are not a nice place to be. American jails are like Disneyland compared to Japanese. No TVs, no tape players / radios, ect. When you're in jail there, you soon regret it.

Show some respect and follow their laws. If you can't live without it, get help.

Answer 7

I'd suggest you leave your weed home. And if you can't live without it, don't go, period.

Weed stinks when it's being used, and it's highly unlikely that you can keep it "private" for long.

No, it is NOT acceptable there. It would be just a matter of time before you would be caught. That means a felony arrest and jail time. I can tell you you won't like being in a Japanese jail. You would have zero rights.

After your papers were processed, you would be deported. This means you would not be allowed back into the country for at least 5 years.

Try Europe.

Is it acceptable here ? Not with anyone I know.

Answer 8

You can go to Japan or you can smoke pot, but you can't do both.  If you're serious about going to Japan you're going to have to prepare to do without marijuana during your time there.

On a purely practical level you're unlikely to find a dealer very easily, especially since you're a foreigner.  Most cases I've heard of where a foreigner in Japan managed to get marijuana involved having it smuggled into the country.  This is incredibly stupid.  Japanese officials do open and search packages mailed from overseas.  The penalties for drug possession are bad enough without adding smuggling.

Even if you do manage to obtain some pot, it's not worth the trouble or the risk.  The poster who said you'd be deported rather than imprisoned is wrong.  If you're lucky that might happen, but the Japanese authorities are perfectly happy to lock up foreign students or English teachers for drug possession.  Drug offenses are taken very, very seriously in Japan, and if caught you would not have the same kinds of rights as prisoners in the US.  You could be held without bail and without being able to contact anyone but a lawyer or the consulate.  You would not go to a "country club" prison, they'd throw you in with serious gangsters, rapists, and murderers.

Socially, it's best not to mention that you've ever used marijuana.