Japan, the land of the rising sun and famous lagers such as Asahi, Sapporo, Kirin and Suntory. You have probably heard of craft brewery Hitachino Nest as well. After touring Japan for three weeks I can tell you: there is so much more! It is not only a hyped tourist destination (well-deserved by the way), but a booming beer scene that has kept up with the rest of the world. Not surprising given the fact that beer is the most popular alcoholic drink in the country. If it is to be believed, beer was first introduced to Japan by Dutch traders in the 17th century during the Edo Period. I visited 32 beer bars, 5 sake breweries and a beer festival during my trip. Just enough to get a taste of what Japan has to offer. In this article I will share what I thought of the Japanese beer scene including some of the beer spots I loved and would visit again. (You can find my Japan map at the end of the article.)
I am happy to hear your suggestions, too. Please add them to the comments section!
If you are interested in reading up on Japan before your trip, or during the long flight, I can recommend The Shortest History of Japan.
Yokohama beer festival
During my trip to Japan I attended The Great Japan Beer Festival Yokohama (ビアフェス横浜), one of the largest and most prestigious craft beer events in Japan, organized by the Craft Beer Association BeerFes. Coincidence? That it was held during my visit, yes, but of course I tear apart the internet looking for beer events taking place while I am traveling and fortunately found this one! Though getting a ticket was one of the biggest challenges of the trip (I kid you not!). The site did not allow purchases outside of Japan, or more specifically, it was mandatory to have a Japanese phone number. The website checked it by calling the number. It was however possible to buy the ticket in Japan at one of the convenience store machines. Ha! Not in English of course. So I spent 30 minutes translating every single screen (staff would not help me). When I was finally almost finished, the machine asked me to fill in my name. In Japanese! You already know the ending, but I was pretty proud of myself.
Now on to the festival itself. It is held annually at Osanbashi Hall by the water with a view of the cruise ships. That alone makes it worth a visit. This edition marked their 30th anniversary and showcased over 200 Japanese beers from 50 breweries, offering a glimpse into the depth and creativity of the domestic craft beer scene. Only a handful were 10% ABV or higher. I was very impressed with the variety of beer styles, including popular styles like American IPA but also many European styles such as English brown ale, German Hefeweizen and Belgian Strong Dark Ale. Or actually pretty much anything, here is an example of things listed: “coffee beer”, “fruit wheat beer”, “English summer ale”, “Unpeated Scotch ale”. The most interesting beers were the ones that a had a Japanese twist, either by using local ingredients like fruits, spices, hops and yeast, or by using an interesting recipe combining ingredients we wouldn’t have thought of. For example Purple Hazy by Caghiya Brewery is a stout with herbs and spices (linden and clove). Okinawa Sango Beer claims to use local coral wate created by a coral-formed limestone cave. Or Nori’s Beer silver award-winning (Japan Beer Awards) Nanbu CHA Ale made with Yamanashi Nanbu tea “Kai no Midori,” a specialty of Nanbu Town, Yamanashi Prefecture.
As you would expect from the Japanese, the organization is more efficient than what I am used to. There were six booths for ticket checking, expediting the entry process. The festival is mainly standing, but there is a VIP section with chairs for which you pay extra. There were two rinsing stations (bottles of water were very cheap – 60 cents), a stand selling snacks, one selling Japanese beer books. But there was also a stand explaining beers and beer styles, which I thought was really good of them to do. Most of the stands had their signs in English as well, but not all of them (thank you, Google Translate!). I’m guessing they do not get a lot of tourists as the festival booklet was in Japanese and I counted about 5 Westerners during the time that I was there. In October at the same location they hold the annual Yokohama Oktoberfest that is considered to be Japan’s biggest beer festival.
Tokyo
If you have visited Tokyo before – or any large city in Japan – you already know this. You Will Get Lost. (I need to print that on a t-shirt.) Now that wouldn’t be such a bad thing if there wasn’t so much ground to cover in so infuriatingly little time! According to the internet, the city has over 30.000 beer bars. We can thank those who have made an attempt to create an online Japan craft beer map to help you out like beertengoku.com and beerbarsjapan.com. My strategy was to make a list of favorites from friends and other blogs and then visit based on my sightseeing and dining route. I ended up spending a lot of time in Shibuya, a fun ‘ward’ featuring the busiest pedestrian crossing in the world, Asakusa and Ginza.
On my very first night I visited a wonderful cider bar called Cidernaut, one of Tokyo’s first “legitimate” cider bars. This is where I learned how friendly Japanese people are, with two cute staff members bombarding me with questions on what I was doing there. With 10 quality ciders on tap, including Japanese ciders using local apples, it also showed that there is a market for it in Japan and they are mirroring (or even advancing) global trends.
A few minutes walk from there is Øl by Oslo Brewing Co. A Norwegian brewery opening a bar in Tokyo? I had to see that! It was an absolute delight. A small terrace outside and a cozy, welcoming interior. A foodtruck served delicious looking tacos. I learned later that the Japanese like to combine the two and that most bars have a food menu.
Similar to the situation in The Netherlands, Scandinavian beer – and craft beer in general – is also expensive in Japan. Danish bar Mikkeller Tokyo was no exception. Downstairs is a relatively small Japanese style standing bar (seating upstairs), with a gray concrete floor, ambient lighting and about 20 taps. In September it is still quite warm though and by opening up the whole streetside wall, they are able to create open-air seating. Sometimes they serve wild fermented sake and they have a bathroom dedicated to Rick Astley (and he visited it!). Be sure not to miss the famous Shibuya Crossing and Hachiko statue nearby.
Near the Senso-ji temple, a must-visit on your trip, you will find another delightful beer bar called The Day East Tokyo in Asakusa. An excellent selection of 8 taps, both Japanese and international beers. The best part was that the cook whipped up a vegan salad for me that wasn’t on the menu. This is my kind of place.
Other bars that I enjoyed were Baird Beer Harajuku, CraftRock in Ginza, the Asahi skyroom (amazing view and the beers are pretty good, too), and Tokyo Aleworks next to Tokyo Station.
(Beware that some places will be hard to find in the major cities as they can be on a higher floor or in the basement of buildings, so pay close attention to the Google Maps instructions or check the reviews for helpful tips.)
Nagano
If you happen to stay in Nagano, there are a few beer places worth visiting. Near the station you will find Yamanoma Brewery, which to my delight was vegan friendly (and is mentioned on Happy Cow). I was even more wowed by their Black IPA on tap that one a silver medal at the Japan Beer Awards 2025. One of my favorite beer styles! The owner had lived in the US for 14 years and spoke good English.
I spent another few happy hours at Mallika Brewing, which is located halfway between the station and the wonderful Zenkoji temple. The wife of the brewer runs the bar and I had a lovely conversation with her. The name ‘Mallika’ can mean ball flower in Japanese, referring to the cone of the hop, also referenced in their motto ‘Make Your Life Hoppy’. She also shared that for some of their beers they use local ingedrients, like hops, apples and peaches from Nagano. They were unfortunately out of their coffee pilsner on tap when I arrived, but I thoroughly enjoyed their Hoppy Lager (Verdant) and white grape Saison (Whispering Mist).
Nagano Brewery makes excellent beers and is a short walk from Zenkoji temple. However it is closed on weekdays so I was unable to visit. I will save that one for next time! For those of you visiting Matsumoto, they have a local brewery (Matsumoto Brewery) with two taprooms! Matsumoto Castle is well worth visiting too, about an hour from Nagano by train.
Kyoto
Kyoto is considered by many tourists to be the most ‘authentic’ city in the golden triangle of Tokyo-Kyoto-Osaka and Japan’s cultural heart. I have to agree that it offers a very different experience and vibe, partially due to the absence of high rises and flashy skyline. And true to its reputation, there are many wonderful things to do in Kyoto in addition to the 2000 temples that the city houses. Some highlights for me were the Tenryu-ji temple, where I spent the most time of all the temples I visited on my trip. Try to get a reservation at their Buddhist vegan restaurant Shigetsu. It is worth it! The Gekkeikan Sake Museum was my first and though maybe not the best sake, it is a fun experience if you are beginning to immerse yourself in the sake scene. If you want to get your arts & crafts groove on, definitely pay a visit to the monthly Kobo-ichi flea market held at To-ji temple every 21st day of the month. By far my favorite activity was walking the 4 km route of Fushimi Inari, probably because I had to work the hardest for it. A true test of endurance and patience and ultimately the most rewarding.
Kyoto has a lively restaurant and bar scene. I spent a few fabulous hours at Kyoto Beer Lab and Kyoto Brewing Co. KBL is conveniently situation near Kyoto Station and Kamo River. I walked in for a beer and left 5 hours later after trying the whole tap list, talking to many visitors going in and out and having a great time with the friendly staff. Kyoto Brewing Co. is over by To-ji temple. A bit smaller, but no less eventful! I tasted their East Coast and West Coast IPA next to each other. WC won!
Osaka and beyond
Osaka is a dazzling neon city and the nation’s kitchen. Here you can eat until you drop (kuidaore). Although I found that to be true of most Japanese places I visited. They love food! One of the local specialities is okonomiyaki, a delicious savory pancake. The city also has a thriving beer scene. On one of my pub visits I discovered the Osaka Craft Beer Map, an A6 landscape booklet of over 50 beer spots in the city. It is available in English, however I could only find the online version in Japanese, but then you at least get a sense of what it looks like. Pick up your copy at one of the participating bars. I made it to Craft Beer Base BUD, WCB Dark Lab (West Coast Brewing), and WCB Umeda. My absolute favorite place was Schwa2. A half circle standing bar in Namba district, it is vibrant and fun. Humorous chats with fellow beer drinkers and staff guaranteed. Look for my sticker on side of the tap wall. They sell ciders and craft beer, many from local Derailleur Brew Works, as they are operated by the same company.
A relatively short train ride away is the famously deer-filled Nara, a beautiful and historic city that once upon a time served as Japan’s first permanent capital. Nice beer bars are Naramachi Craft Beer and Yamato Brewery. Nara Brewing Company comes highly recommended but is a little further out. A sake tasting at Harushika Sake Brewery Store is great fun, too.
Another excellent daytrip destination is Kobe, known for its sake breweries and its outstanding beef. A ride up the ropeway to see the herb gardens is a fun activity and provides excellent views across Kobe city. The city has quite a few good beer bars in the center near Kobe-Sannomiya station. I only was able to visit two of them, but really enjoyed the experience and good beer selection: Haretoke Beer & Cider and Laughin.
Okayama
Okayama prefecture is called the ‘Land of Sunshine’. Not only was it sunny while I was there in September, I found it to be considerably hotter and more humid than Tokyo and Yokohama. It is also famously known as the ‘Fruit Kingdom’ of Japan, producing some of the country’s most prized and expensive fruits – especially its white peaches – and is the setting of the popular folktale of Momotaro (the Peach Boy). Famous highlights are the Korakuen Garden (great souvenir shop) and Okayama Castle, which is beautifully lit up at night. You can access the grounds until about 9.30 PM. If time permits, I highly recommend visiting the historical quarter of Kurashiki, about a 15 minute train ride away. It is very picturesque and has some of the best art & crafts that I have seen during my trip.
A beer spot not to miss is Kawazu Brewing. One of their core range beers is – can you guess? Peach Boy Golden Ale! I was unaware of the fruit situation during my visit there and heard firsthand from the owner the exceptional status of white peaches and other expensive fruits due to a combination of labor-intensive farming for peak quality, the cultural significance of fruit as a luxury gift, and limited farmland that restricts mass production. A high-grade peach costs around 75 Euro and is sold at department stores instead of supermarkets. Using those in his beers would be unaffordable, so he buys bruised batches that cannot be sold. I tried his limited edition Peach Slap fruited wheat beer and it was excellent! Another good beer location is Beer Island brewpub, but there are more. The owner of Kawazu recommends Naradewa.
Hiroshima
The city is known for its terrifying history and I expect that the focal point of most touristic visits to Hiroshima are the Peace Memorial Park & Museum and Atomic Bomb Dome. The Dome hit me the hardest, because the destruction was so tangible. The museum unfortunately was so crowded that I could not see a thing and probably have been spared some bad dreams. My favorites were the Shukkeien Garden and Hiroshima Castle, both wonderfully reconstructed af the war. I visited the garden in the morning and it was tranquil and absolutely gorgeous. I much preferred it to other, bigger gardens I went to. The castle offers a nice view of the city, but what was maybe even more impressive is that the little park surrounding it has a few trees that survived the bombing. The power of nature!
A huge surprise was passing by an Oktoberfest terrain. Who knew that the German beer fest had reached Japan! My main beer stops were at Hiroshima Neighborly Brewing, which has a good beer and food selection. The beers at Taros Brewing were even better. Don’t be fooled by the small and casual interior, the beers are of very good quality! They don’t shy away from interesting or difficult beer styles, like their Harmorhythm, a black sour ale that is made with a dark beer base, blueberry puree, brown sugar, and maple syrup. It had some acidity while at the same time a bit of umami – soy sauce tones. How fun!
Japan craft beer map
Check out my Japan beer map below or open it directly in your browser via this link. The yellow beer icons are great breweries and brewpubs I visited or that come highly recommended. Help me to expand the Japan Craft Beer Experience by sending me tips from your favorite Japanese beer places.
All images by Tina Rogers unless otherwise specified.
