ハシゴ酒

• Reading: ハシゴざけ
• Romaji: hashigo zake
• Kanji breakdown: ハシゴ (ladder, from 梯子) + 酒 (alcohol/sake, with rendaku voicing) → ladder of bars
• Pronunciation: /ha.ɕi.ɡo za.ke/

Meaning

Bar hopping; going from one bar or izakaya to the next in a single night, like climbing rungs of a ladder.

Using the metaphor of climbing a ladder (梯子) from one establishment to the next, ハシゴ酒 describes the Japanese tradition of visiting multiple bars in one evening. Each stop usually involves different drinks and small dishes. It's a social activity deeply tied to Japanese nightlife culture, especially in areas with dense concentrations of small bars like Golden Gai in Shinjuku.

Examples

1. 昨日は三軒ハシゴ酒して終電逃した。 Last night I bar-hopped through three places and missed the last train.
2. たまにはハシゴ酒しようよ、色んな店回りたい。 Let's go bar hopping once in a while — I want to check out different spots.
3. ハシゴ酒すると毎回飲みすぎちゃうんだよなあ。 Whenever I go bar hopping, I always end up drinking too much.

Usage Guide

Context: nightlife, friends, drinking plans

Tone: adventurous, social

Do Say

• 今日はハシゴ酒するぞ！ (Tonight we're bar hopping!)
• ハシゴ酒するならこのエリアがおすすめ。 (If you're bar hopping, I recommend this area.)

Don't Say

• 仕事の接待で「ハシゴ酒しましょう」はカジュアルすぎる (Suggesting 'let's bar hop' at a business entertainment event is too casual)

Common Mistakes

• Using ハシゴ酒 for visiting multiple restaurants for food — it specifically refers to drinking-focused bar hopping

Origin & History

From 梯子 (ladder) + 酒 (alcohol). The image is of climbing from one bar to the next, like moving up the rungs of a ladder. A long-standing term in Japanese drinking culture.

Cultural Context

Era: Long-standing drinking culture term

Generation: All ages (legal drinking age 20+)

Social background: Universal among drinkers

Regional notes: Used across all of Japan. Especially associated with areas dense with small bars like Shinjuku's Golden Gai.