The Blue Windy Lounge is about as close to a smoker’s paradise as you can get: comfy seats, fine ventilation, vending machines stocked with your favorite smokes if you need a top-up, no cover charge and best of all, nobody glaring at you as though your presence were shortening their lives!
For years, Asia has been the last great frontier for Big Tobacco, but recently Tokyo has become more and more restrictive, declaring whole buildings, train stations, and neighborhoods off-limits for lighting up. Japan Tobacco began protecting its own by opening storefront smoking lounges in a number of neighborhoods, so smokers would have somewhere to go besides the pariah smoking pen in the alley out back.
Smoking is decreasing in Japan, it’s still pretty prevalent. I always ask people what age they started, and often the answers surprise me. In America, adult smokers usually got hooked at 13 or 14. In Japan, a lot of men started smoking after they were 18 and finished playing high school sports. Women often say they started smoking after beginning their careers – around age 21 or 22 – to relieve stress.
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The Last Tea Bowl Thief was chosen as an Editor’s Pick for Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense on Amazon
“A fascinating mix of history and mystery.” —Booklist
Jonelle Patrick writes novels set in Japan, produces the monthly e-magazine Japanagram, and blogs at Only In Japan and The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had
Only In Japan 