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    • Spring
      • video

        Finding the Flow from Kansai to Kochi

        Shikoku’s many mountains, valleys and proximity to the ocean has made it a hidden gem for rafting, kayaking and canyoning enthusiasts willing to take a step or two further from the Golden Route of Kyoto and Osaka.

        Solace and Giant Salamanders in Akiota

        Just beyond Hiroshima City is a tranquil outdoor destination home to some of Japan's last remaining oosanshouo, the elusive giant salamander.
        Kyoto Oni Trail Outdoor Japanvideo

        The Oni Trail: Hiking Coastal Kyoto

        The mystical oni is prevalent in Japanese children’s stories, usually as a way to scare kids straight. Adventure Travel Kyoto is shedding a new light on this folklore and developing a new hiking route in the countryside of Kyoto.
    • Summer
      • the nomad pasche family

        The World is Our Playground

        The Pasche family has been cycling and living out of a tent in remote corners of the planet for the past 13 years on four continents spanning 50 countries.
        adventure travel world summit in hokkaido

        Adventure Travel World Summit in Hokkaido

        The ATTA will host their first Adventure Travel World Summit in Asia in Hokkaido, Japan. We caught up with ATTA Director Shannon Stowell to find out more about the adventure travel industry and how it continues to grow and evolve.
        mead brewing in japan

        The Sweet Secrets of Brewing Mead

        Wander into the world of mead brewing and find yourself immersed in a fascinating journey spanning centuries and continents.
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        The Knights in White Lycra

        Each year a group of cyclists head to the deep north towards Tohoku’s vast rice fields and coastal trails to help transform the lives of neglected children.
        sea to table yamagata

        Sea to Table in Yamagata

        An unforgettable way to intimately explore the Shonai Region in Yamagata is a culinary experience bringing bounty of the sea straight to your table.
    • Autumn
    • Winter
      • video

        CAMP3 Clubhouse in Madarao

        Keith Stubbs, a veteran in the snowboard industry, transitioned from rider to coach and instructor trainer for Snowboard Instruction New Zealand. After coaching in various Japanese resorts, he has established a permanent base in Madarao, outlining his plans for the area and future snowboard endeavors.
        shiretoko hokkaido outdoor japan

        New Horizons in Shiretoko

        During another epic powder season, two seasoned winter sports enthusiasts traded their snowboard bags for camera bags and traveled to Eastern Hokkaido to explore the frozen landscape and broaden their winter horizons.
        sayuri matsuhashi double role curling athlete japan outdoor

        Silent Resilience

        Curling athlete Sayuri Matsuhashi’s journey to the top of her sport is an inspiration to deaf athletes and women juggling their roles as mothers while also pursuing their professional dreams.
        ainu tour daniel moore outdoor japan hokkaido

        Heritage Hunting in Hokkaido

        Travelers venturing beyond Hokkaido's popular winter resorts will discover a land with a rich cultural and natural history, a proud indigenous people and a community striving to preserve their heritage.
        shizukuishi skiing snowboarding outdoor japan

        Shizukuishi

        Northern Honshu’s Iwate Prefecture, known for heavy snowfall, features Shizukuishi—a powder-rich resort area with views of Mt. Iwate. Snow enthusiasts seeking lesser-known gems can enjoy exceptional snow quality and uncrowded resorts, including Shizukuishi Ski Resort, Amihari Onsen Ski Resort, and Iwate Kogen Snow Park, offering affordability and traditional hospitality.
    • Near Tokyo
      • getting dirty in japan

        Getting Dirty in Japan

        “Getting Dirty in Japan” is about getting out of your comfort zone and into some exciting outdoor adventures and destinations in Japan.
    • Near Kyoto
    • All Regions
    • Article Map
    • Ocean and Beach
      • getting dirty in japan

        Getting Dirty in Japan

        “Getting Dirty in Japan” is about getting out of your comfort zone and into some exciting outdoor adventures and destinations in Japan.
    • River and Lake
      • ainu tour daniel moore outdoor japan hokkaido

        Heritage Hunting in Hokka...

        Travelers venturing beyond Hokkaido's popular winter resorts will discover a land with a rich cultural and natural history, a proud indigenous people and a community striving to preserve their heritage.
        getting dirty in japan

        Getting Dirty in Japan

        “Getting Dirty in Japan” is about getting out of your comfort zone and into some exciting outdoor adventures and destinations in Japan.
    • Mountain and Land
    • Sky
      • getting dirty in japan

        Getting Dirty in Japan

        “Getting Dirty in Japan” is about getting out of your comfort zone and into some exciting outdoor adventures and destinations in Japan.
    • Snow and Ice
      • video

        CAMP3 Clubhouse in Madarao

        Keith Stubbs, a veteran in the snowboard industry, transitioned from rider to coach and instructor trainer for Snowboard Instruction New Zealand. After coaching in various Japanese resorts, he has established a permanent base in Madarao, outlining his plans for the area and future snowboard endeavors.
        shiretoko hokkaido outdoor japan

        New Horizons in Shiretoko

        During another epic powder season, two seasoned winter sports enthusiasts traded their snowboard bags for camera bags and traveled to Eastern Hokkaido to explore the frozen landscape and broaden their winter horizons.
        sayuri matsuhashi double role curling athlete japan outdoor

        Silent Resilience

        Curling athlete Sayuri Matsuhashi’s journey to the top of her sport is an inspiration to deaf athletes and women juggling their roles as mothers while also pursuing their professional dreams.
        shizukuishi skiing snowboarding outdoor japan

        Shizukuishi

        Northern Honshu’s Iwate Prefecture, known for heavy snowfall, features Shizukuishi—a powder-rich resort area with views of Mt. Iwate. Snow enthusiasts seeking lesser-known gems can enjoy exceptional snow quality and uncrowded resorts, including Shizukuishi Ski Resort, Amihari Onsen Ski Resort, and Iwate Kogen Snow Park, offering affordability and traditional hospitality.
        togari onsen outdoor japan

        Northern Shinshu’s Secret Stash

        A weak yen, revenge travel, and excellent ski conditions have led to high demand, booking out popular resorts like Hakuba and Nozawa Onsen this year. Fortunately, lesser-known gems like Togari Onsen, near Nozawa Onsen and Madarao, offer charming alternatives for powder seekers.
    • Travel
      • video

        CAMP3 Clubhouse in Madarao

        Keith Stubbs, a veteran in the snowboard industry, transitioned from rider to coach and instructor trainer for Snowboard Instruction New Zealand. After coaching in various Japanese resorts, he has established a permanent base in Madarao, outlining his plans for the area and future snowboard endeavors.
        shiretoko hokkaido outdoor japan

        New Horizons in Shiretoko

        During another epic powder season, two seasoned winter sports enthusiasts traded their snowboard bags for camera bags and traveled to Eastern Hokkaido to explore the frozen landscape and broaden their winter horizons.
        sayuri matsuhashi double role curling athlete japan outdoor

        Silent Resilience

        Curling athlete Sayuri Matsuhashi’s journey to the top of her sport is an inspiration to deaf athletes and women juggling their roles as mothers while also pursuing their professional dreams.
        ainu tour daniel moore outdoor japan hokkaido

        Heritage Hunting in Hokkaido

        Travelers venturing beyond Hokkaido's popular winter resorts will discover a land with a rich cultural and natural history, a proud indigenous people and a community striving to preserve their heritage.
        shizukuishi skiing snowboarding outdoor japan

        Shizukuishi

        Northern Honshu’s Iwate Prefecture, known for heavy snowfall, features Shizukuishi—a powder-rich resort area with views of Mt. Iwate. Snow enthusiasts seeking lesser-known gems can enjoy exceptional snow quality and uncrowded resorts, including Shizukuishi Ski Resort, Amihari Onsen Ski Resort, and Iwate Kogen Snow Park, offering affordability and traditional hospitality.
    • Food and Drinks
      • video

        CAMP3 Clubhouse in Madarao

        Keith Stubbs, a veteran in the snowboard industry, transitioned from rider to coach and instructor trainer for Snowboard Instruction New Zealand. After coaching in various Japanese resorts, he has established a permanent base in Madarao, outlining his plans for the area and future snowboard endeavors.
        shiretoko hokkaido outdoor japan

        New Horizons in Shiretoko

        During another epic powder season, two seasoned winter sports enthusiasts traded their snowboard bags for camera bags and traveled to Eastern Hokkaido to explore the frozen landscape and broaden their winter horizons.
        sayuri matsuhashi double role curling athlete japan outdoor

        Silent Resilience

        Curling athlete Sayuri Matsuhashi’s journey to the top of her sport is an inspiration to deaf athletes and women juggling their roles as mothers while also pursuing their professional dreams.
        ainu tour daniel moore outdoor japan hokkaido

        Heritage Hunting in Hokkaido

        Travelers venturing beyond Hokkaido's popular winter resorts will discover a land with a rich cultural and natural history, a proud indigenous people and a community striving to preserve their heritage.
        shizukuishi skiing snowboarding outdoor japan

        Shizukuishi

        Northern Honshu’s Iwate Prefecture, known for heavy snowfall, features Shizukuishi—a powder-rich resort area with views of Mt. Iwate. Snow enthusiasts seeking lesser-known gems can enjoy exceptional snow quality and uncrowded resorts, including Shizukuishi Ski Resort, Amihari Onsen Ski Resort, and Iwate Kogen Snow Park, offering affordability and traditional hospitality.
    • Races and Events
      • sayuri matsuhashi double role curling athlete japan outdoor

        Silent Resilience

        Curling athlete Sayuri Matsuhashi’s journey to the top of her sport is an inspiration to deaf athletes and women juggling their roles as mothers while also pursuing their professional dreams.

        Winter News and Notes

        Check out the latest news and winter events held at ski resorts all over Japan in 2024!
        dd4d brewing

        DD4D Brewing

        In nearly e...

Getting Funky

Whether it’s James Brown’s drummer making you jump out of your seat and dance or that bag of stinky gym clothes bringing a tear to your eye, funky stuff provokes strong reactions. This is no less true with beer, where funky brews’ wild yeast strains lend a variety of powerful flavors—from the sweet stink of over-ripe fruit to the animal aromas of a barnyard—that novices may find overpowering…or addictive.

These yeasts (typically of the Brettanomyces genus, distinct from the Saccharomyces typically used for fermentation and baking) are found in nature on the skins of fruit and give farmhouse cidres their earthy and smoky flavors (see Beer Buzz, Issue #54). Vintners and brewers have long considered Brettanomyces (Brett for short) a contaminant, but recently Brett has become a popular choice for brewers who want to create complex ales.

Centuries before modern microbiology, Brettanomyces gave distinctive flavors to spontaneously-fermented ales (such as the famed Belgian lambics) and British “stock” ales, aged in oak for long periods of time. Today, these “wild” yeasts have been isolated, and the modern brewer can decide to use particular strains as the primary yeast or in combination with other microbes to produce various flavors.

For example, the Trappist Brasser ie d’Orval in Belgium adds Brett at the time of bottling, which causes the beer to change flavor when cellared, developing fruity and earthy characteristics over the years. Whereas in 2004, Pizza Port Brewery in San Diego created the world’s first 100 percent Brett ale, considerably fruitier and less “funky” than Brett’s use in mixed fermentations. The best examples of funky beer in Japan at this time are mostly imports. Fortunately, a wide variety of traditional spontaneously fermented Belgian lambics are available, including Cantillon Gueuze 100% Lambic Bio, Boon Geuze Mariage Parfait and 3 Fonteinen Oude Geuze.

All three of these are excellent examples of geuze, a golden colored unfiltered ale. Sometimes called the “champagne” of Belgium, geuze (pronounced “gerz” in French and “kher-ze” in Flemish) is dry, tart and complex, with flavors ranging from herbal, fruity, musky and cheese-like. Geuze is a blend of lambic aged for two to three years in oak barrels and “young” (one year old) lambic, which still has enough unfermented sugars to carbonate the beer in the bottles.

All traditional lambics are fermented using only microbes from the environment, so the art of creating consistently delicious beer is the responsibility of the blender who selects to combine different barrels to balance acidity and flavors produced by the interaction of the wild microbes. Sometimes brewers age lambics on fruits, particularly cherries and raspberries, producing kriek and framboise respectively. Be aware that some beers labeled “lambic” are pasteurized and flavored with fruit syrups, resulting in a product much sweeter than traditional varieties.

It isn’t well known, but Japan was Cantillon’s first export market in 1988, and owner-brewer Jean Van Roy says Japanese sales helped keep his landmark brewery afloat “during the difficult years for lambic,” when there wasn’t much interest in this complex, traditional beer in Belgium itself. American brewers have picked up on Belgian techniques, and some have launched their own spontaneous fermentation practices. However, of those available in Japan, most use a variety of microbes (including Brett and souring bacteria such as Lactobacillus and Pediococcus) that they cultivate in oak barrels where they carry out long fermentations (often about a year).

One exemplary example is The Bruery from Orange County, California, which specializes in these beers. Their Rueze is not cheap (¥2,900 for a 750-ml. bottle), but it follows the traditional blending techniques of the Belgians and is as complex as its predecessors. Their Tart of Darkness is an excellent sour stout tasting of tart cherry, prune and faint chocolate, with Brett adding some leather. Another recently introduced American funky beer is Almanac Beer Company’s Farmer’s Reserve Strawberry. This San Francisco brewer ages its Farmer’s Reserve series on local fruit in California wine barrels. This beer is quite tart, but the strawberry aromas and strong carbonation make this a good introduction to the funk. Japanese brewers have yet to really pick up on this trend, although Mark Meli (author of the excellent “Craft Beer in Japan”) notes Chateau Kamiya and Ise Kadoya have both used wild yeast collected from local trees for some of their beers, Zakkoku Kōbō’s new Cats Eyes is a kriek (secondary fermentation on cherries), and Iwate Kura’s appropriately-named Shizen Hakkō (spontaneous fermentation) might be Japan’s first lambicstyle brew.

The time is ripe for Japanese brewers and drinkers alike to overcome their fears and explore the funky side of yeast.

Beer Festival Calendar

  • July 3-5, Tanabata Beer Festival Toyama (Toyama City)
  • July 3-12, Oktoberfest Tohoku (Sendai)
  • July 8-12, Belgian Beer Weekend Hiroshima
  • July 11-12, Nippon Craft Beer Festival in Shōnan (Kamakura)
  • July 11-12, Sapporo Craft Beer Forest
  • July 16-20, Belgian Beer Weekend Tokyo
  • July 17-19, BeerFes Osaka
  • July 17-20, Ikspiari Craft Beer Collection (Urayasu, Chiba)
  • July 17-Aug. 2, Oktoberfest Himeiji
  • July 24-26, Tsukuba Craft Beer Fest
  • July 31-Aug. 9, Shinjuku Oktoberfest
  • Aug. 6-16, World Beer Summit (Nagoya)
  • Aug. 8-9, BeerFes Nagoya
  • Aug. 12-16, Oktoberfest Kawasaki
  • Aug. 22-23, Craft Beer Festival in Akita
  • Aug. 28-Sept. 6, Oktoberfest Kumamoto
  • Sept. 5-6, Whiskey & Beer Camp (Nagawa, Nagano)
  • Sept. 15-23, Belgian Beer Weekend Tokyo
  • Sept. 19-27, Oktoberfest Kobe
  • Sept. 21-23, BeerFes Yokohama
  • Sept. 25-Oct. 4, Oktoberfest Saitama

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Keith Stubbs, a veteran in the snowboard industry, transitioned from rider to coach and instructor trainer for Snowboard Instruction New Zealand. After coaching in various Japanese resorts, he has established a permanent base in Madarao, outlining his plans for the area and future snowboard endeavors.

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Curling athlete Sayuri Matsuhashi’s journey to the top of her sport is an inspiration to deaf athletes and women juggling their roles as mothers while also pursuing their professional dreams.

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