Hanami

Once a year in Japan, for a couple of days in April), everyone stops whatever it is they're doing and all venture forth to the various parks (the only areas of modern Japan to escape paving) to get pissed to the gills and view the sakura. Young and old, large and small (but mostly small of course), they charge en masse to spread their tarps, eat their sushi or soba (noodles), and drink their sake (or more commonly nowadays, wine). I, along with an adequate supply of food and booze and a small crew of carefully selected champions, was more than happy to join this year's pilgrimage.

A hanami-inspired diamonte poem regarding the drunks of Japan:

Hammered
cannot see
everyone is happy
can't even get up
friends all laughing
ha ha
faceplant

Everyone should aspire to the non-violent, happy Japanese mode of intoxication. This is a feature the rest of the world would do well to emulate. No one fights. Children play merrily nearby. No one does anything but smile idiotically and mumble happily as you videotape them lurching and crashing to the ground with hilarious frequency. For the Japanese, drinking necessarily involves getting drunk. If you weighed barely 50 pounds, had no fat, and drank 3 glasses of beer, you probably would too.

Hhahahahaha, it's like drinking with gradeschoolers...only these guys are finished school...and are often in excess of 60 years old...and are the coolest dudes ever.