Answer:

A Japanese friend relates that he was relaxing on the beach in Waikiki, when a uniformed police–man came up to him and told him that he was breaking the law. Our friend was quite taken aback, because all he was doing was lying on the beach enjoying a beer. What our friend discovered was that open containers of alcoholic beverages are not allowed in public places. In Japan, there are vending machines selling beer every–where, and no one thinks twice about having a beer in public, but in many places in America, this is against the law and one can be fined for doing so.

Do Americans obey such laws? Some people “go around” the law by placing alcoholic beverages in other containers or placing beer cans in–side a brown paper bag. They obey the law on the surface, and rarely will anyone challenge them.