APT Drinking Game Rules and How Koreans Say Cheers
The APT drinking game works like this: everyone stacks their hands in the middle of the table, someone calls a number, and the person whose hand lands on that number loses. Before you play it with Korean friends, it helps to know how a Korean toast goes too: "geonbae" is the standard, "jjan" is what friends say. HEAVEN TOKYO, a Korean bar in Shinjuku, put both together here so your first round goes smoothly.
How to play APT, step by step
Step one: stack hands. Everyone places both hands in the centre of the table, alternating so no one has two hands together. Step two: the first player chants "apateu, apateu" and calls out a number. Step three: starting from the bottom, players pull a hand out and place it on top of the pile, counting up from one. Step four: whoever puts a hand down on the called number loses. The usual penalty is a sip, but the table sets its own rules. Nobody should be pushed to drink, and the legal drinking age in Japan is 20.
Korean cheers etiquette in four habits
Geonbae is the all-purpose toast; jjan is the casual one among friends. When you clink with someone older, keep your glass a touch lower than theirs. When someone pours for you, hold the glass with both hands. Pour for each other rather than for yourself. Some people also turn their head slightly away when drinking in front of an elder, though among friends nobody minds. None of it is strict. Knowing it simply gives you something to talk about before the first sip.
Putting it to use at the counter
At HEAVEN TOKYO the counter holds soju, makgeolli and somaek alongside Japanese whisky, shochu and sours, so there is always a glass to raise. Catch the eye of the Korean guest beside you, lower your glass a little, say jjan, and the conversation usually takes care of itself: where they are from, what they are drinking, why they are in Tokyo. The bar opens on Friday, October 23. One word of Korean is enough to get you started.
FAQ
- What does the loser of APT have to do?
- Usually take a sip, but the group decides. Never pressure anyone to drink, and anyone under 20 cannot drink alcohol in Japan.
- What do Koreans say when they clink glasses?
- Geonbae is the standard toast. Among friends, jjan is more common.
- Do I need to follow the etiquette at HEAVEN TOKYO?
- No. The habits above are good to know, not rules of the house. Raising your glass and saying jjan is more than enough.
Bar information
- Name: Korean Bar HEAVEN TOKYO
- Address: GEST34 Bldg. 1F #103, 2-45-16 Kabukicho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo (3 min walk from Seibu-Shinjuku Station)
- Opening: October 23, 2026
- Hours: daily 21:00-05:00
- Seats: 8 counter seats, karaoke available
- All-you-can-drink: 2,500 yen per hour (about 80 cocktails)
- Operated by Nagaza Inc., the owners of Korean bars HEAVEN, MOON and SARANG in Higashi-Shinsaibashi, Osaka
Google Maps · Our Osaka bars HEAVEN, MOON and SARANG (same owners)