Columns
Oni Densetsu Beer By Bryan Harrell
The Local Brew By Bryan Harrell Oni Densetsu Beer Noboribetsu, Hokkaido Founded in 1998, Oni Densetsu is operated by a company that makes all manner of confectionery treats purchased by tourists visiting Hokkaido. Since the island is a...
Baeren Beer (Morioka, Iwate) By Bryan Harrell
Baeren Beer Morioka, Iwate Baeren stands apart from the typical Japanese microbrewery by focusing on German styles of beer. Founded in April of 2003, the brewery is less than ten years old, but brews up some well-crafted beers, the most famous be...
Yatsugatake Beer & Brewpub ROCK By Bryan Harrell
p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Arial} Yatsugatake Beer and their brewpub, named simply “ROCK,” are nestled near the foot of the mountain area known as Yatsugatake, in Kiyosato Town in Yamana...
Baird Beer By Bryan Harrell
p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Arial} Nakameguro & Harajuku, Tokyo Bringing Local Beer to Town While the focus of this column is introducing locally brewed beers in various parts of Japa...
Daisen G-Beer By Bryan Harrell
p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Arial} Daisen G-Beer may be one of the most remote breweries in Japan, but there is nothing remote about the familiar flavors of their four mainstream beer...
Hida Takayama Beer By Bryan Harrell
p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Arial} Founded in July of 1996 on the western side of Japan’s Northern Alps, Hida Takayama Beer is one of Japan’s earliest microbreweries. Unfo...
Yokohama Beer By Bryan Harrell
p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Arial} span.s1 {font: 15.0px Arial} Yokohama Beer is one of Japan’s first craft breweries, opening in June 1...
Nasu Kogen Beer By Bryan Harrell
Located in the northern end of Tochigi Prefecture, Nasu Kogen Beer has always been one of the more classy and elegant craft brewers in Japan, from the lovely stillness of its restaurant to its rather complete line of well crafted ales in tall bottles ...
Isekadoya Beer By Bryan Harrell
Isekadoya began in April 1997, primarily brewing English-style ales. These beers gave them a fair amount of attention in their first 10 years of operation. In recent years, however, they have been brewing more unique styles of beers with bold flavor...
Moku Moku Beer By Bryan Harrell
The inception of beer was a result of the advent of agriculture, the organized human activity that puts food on our collective tables. So, before we celebrate beer, we should pay tribute to farming. One of the most enjoyable places bringing these tra...
Sagami Beer at Restaurant Selvaggina By Bryan Harrell
The Tanzawa mountain range in northwestern Kanagawa Prefecture offers residents of greater Tokyo numerous hiking opportunities, not to mention a great deal of off-road mountain biking courses. While its rugged terrain and steep slopes challenge the ri...
Fujizakura Kogen Beer at Sylvans Restaurant By Bryan Harrell
The lure of Mt. Fuji goes beyond its symbolic representation of Japan. While hiking to the top is one of the country’s most popular outdoor endeavors, even more people flock to the area at the base of this dormant volcano for practically everyth...
Harvest Moon By Bryan Harrel
If you have young children in Japan, it is practically inevitable that a trip to Tokyo Disneyland will be considered an outdoor activity in your household. For those not keen on theme parks, the Roti’s House brewery restaurant in the Ikspiari co...
Chateau Kamiya Beer By Bryan Harrell
It’s probably still cold as you read this, but spring is just around the corner. Here’s a suggestion for good beer in an expansive park-like setting, less than an hour from Tokyo. Chateau Kamiya appears to have been hauled out of the Fren...
Hitachino Nest Beer By Bryan Harrel
Hitachino Nest beer from Ibaraki Prefecture distinguishes itself from other Japanese microbrews in that it is arguably the most famous overseas. Indeed, about half of their production is exported, mostly to the United States, where beer enthusiasts wi...
Tama Beer at Restaurant Beer Club By Bryan Harrel
Tama Beer at Restaurant Beer Club Tama Hills Area – Hachioji, Tokyo The area surrounding this small brewery restaurant affords quite a number of opportunities for family-oriented “un-extreme” activities. There’s the Tama Zoo,...
Niseko Beer at Higashiyama Eggshell By Bryan Harrel
Niseko Town, Hokkaido ニセコ地ビール・東山エッグシェール 北海道 ニセコ町 After glancing through our last issue, I find it’s obvious Niseko has it all for outdoor activities. However, a visit to Niseko Beer, in the Hi...
Beer in the Great Outdoors By Bryan Harrel
During the warmer months, there are many places in Japan where you can enjoy a cold beer in the beer garden tradition. While such places have been a summer mainstay in Japan, in the past 10 years a number of more interesting places to have a beer al f...
