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How to Make it to the Office the Day After

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How to Make it to the Office the Day After

We all like to eat and drink endlessly, but nobody likes a stomachache or a hangover. Japanese people love parties like everyone around the world, but how do they always seem to manage to come to work the next day like nothing happened at the year-end party (or bonenkai) the night before? What's the secret? Let's find out!

4. Taisho Kampo Digestive Medicine

4. Taisho Kampo Digestive Medicine

https://brand.taisho.co.jp/kanpou/5saikara/

Taisho Kampo Ichoyaku, or digestive medicine, uses traditional Chinese herbs to settle your tummy. Taking it before your next party will relax your stomach from the stress caused by digesting a lot of food. Plus, actor Shun Oguri—whom you might recognize from 2014's live-action Lupin III movie—is the face of the brand! Who can say no to that?

3. Ohta's Isan Antacid Powder

3. Ohta's Isan Antacid Powder

https://ohta-isan.co.jp/

If Taisho Kampo is the celebrity product, then Ohta's Isan Antacid Powder must be the people's choice. In fact, when I asked my friends about recommendations for relieving overeating and drinking, 100 percent of them suggested Ohta. I tried it, and immediately fell in love with the coolness. Or was it the coolness of my drink...?

2. Clam Miso Soup

2. Clam Miso Soup

Each culture has its own home recipe for dealing with a hangover. Americans suggests drinking a lot of water; British people suggest drinking more alcohol; Koreans drinks seaweed soup, and so on. For Japanese people, they like to drink clam miso soup, or shijimi miso shiru, to tackle that nasty feeling. The reason? Clams are said to contain a type of amino acid that boosts the liver’s ability to digest alcohol. Taking it before sleeping or after you wake up is supposed to work very well!

1. Turmeric Drink

1. Turmeric Drink

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9TdPX_Unw8

Whenever year-end parties roll around in Japan, so too do ads for turmeric drink, which you'll literally see everywhere. The most common brand is Ukon no Chikara—literally, The Power of Turmeric. Turmeric is supposed to help your bile to digest and liver to break up alcohol. If you don’t like to take pills or powder, and have no time to make soup, why not just do a bottle of turmeric drink? You can party all night, wake up at 4 p.m., bottom-up a bottle, then get ready for the next party.