KIRIN_キリン良質素材

America: When you go to the grocery store, oftentimes you can snag free samples.

Japan: When you go to the grocery store, oftentimes you can snag free samples. Of beer.

Seriously. Today, while I was at the store, they were setting up a display of Kirin キリン良質素材, a new kind of beer that debuts in a couple of days, and a company rep handed me a (250 ml) can. She then realized that I was a foreigner, and tried to explain in baby talk, which would've been entertaining, but I quickly thanked her in Japanese.

A while back, the video rental place was giving out bottles of some new variety of Seagram's Ice something or other. Given the low frequency of my drinking episodes, if this trend continues I could probably supply all of my alcohol needs for free this year.