Tokyo Beer Map v13 (Click to enlarge)

The Beer in Japan guide to the good bars in Tokyo and Yokohama – Kanto –  the bars where you can find craft beers on tap or in bottles, or which have an excellent atmosphere. The bars I’ve written listing details about are listed in bold; other bars I’ve either still to write listing details for – those links open a new window with the bar’s own website.

Listings in italics below and in (brackets) on the map are off-licenses (liquor stores).
(NS) = Smoke-free bar.
(WIFI) = Free WIFI. Not many bars have free WIFI – if you’re travelling in Japan/Tokyo and need WIFI, this site can help.

So many bars – where should you start? Check out our recommendations.
In Osaka? See the Osaka listings.
Outside Tokyo, Yokohama, and Osaka? See Japan wide listings.
Want to know what’s on tap at some of these bars? Try Boozelist.

NOTE: Due to the ever changing bar scene, there are bars listed below that are not on the Tokyo Beer Map linked above. GOMEN!

Don’t know where to start?
Recommendations:
* Ikebukuro: Beer Saurus, Vivo!, and Beer Pub Camden
* Shibuya: Aldgate
* Shinjukugyoenmae: Bamboo
* Kanamecho: Cat & Cask
* Roppongi: Ant n’ Bee, Roti, and Goshiki
* Ryogoku: Popeye
* Shimokitazawa: Ushi Tora
* Shimbashi: Dry Dock
* Yokohama area: Thrash Zone, Pivo, Yokohama Brewery & Pivovar, Craft Beer Bar, and Cheers!
Latest additions:
* Devil Craft in Kanda, Beer Horn in Akasaka Mitsuke, and Craft Beer Market in Toranomon

Don’t forget the Beer in Japan iPhone, Android, and WebOS app. It doesn’t have all the bars listed below but it does get you big discounts at several bars, and your purchase helps support this website.

Yamanote Line stations

• Gotanda: Grafton
• Meguro: Black Lion
• Ebisu: What The Dickens, Irishmore, Billy Barew’s Beer Bar (Gone?)
• Shibuya: The Aldgate (NS) (WIFI), Faucets (new at the end of 2011 – with 40 taps!), Bis Cafe, Hemel, The Griffon, Amusement, Belgo, German Farm Grill, Estadio (Kamo Soccer Bar), Craftheads (NS) (WIFI), Yamaya, Tokyu Food Show
  
• Shinjuku: In Shinjuku central, the Belgian bars Frigo and Little Delirium are your only real options – but if you don’t mind a short walk (or subway ride) to Shinjukugyoenmae, there’s Bamboo – the only bar with draught craft beer in Shinjuku (see the Shinjukugyoenmae listing below for Bamboo.) Frigo, Little Delirium, Hazelburn (a few UK bottles and UK draught beers), Billy Barew’s Beer Bar (Takadanobaba review), Brooklyn Parlor (WIFI), Shinanoya (usually has a few excellent bottles)
• Takadanobaba: Cafe Cotton Club, Billy Barew’s Beer Bar
• Mejiro: Tanakaya
• Ikebukuro: Beer Saurus (Brilliant happy hour with 50% off draught craft beers 6-8pm, and no cover charge for BIJ app owners. Usually has hoppy imported craft beers), Vivo! (NS) (WIFI) (New location: Google Map – B1; 20 taps, discount Monday to Thursday for BIJ app owners), Beer Pub Camden (The only bar in Japan with at least one Brewdog beer always on tap; watch out because there’s two pubs called Camden in Ikebukuro), Ale House (occasionally has one craft beer on tap), Black Sheep, Sakura Cafe (only a few Japanese craft beers in bottles but relatively cheap; backpacker hangout)
• Nippori: O’Connell
• Ueno: Warrior Celt
• Kanda: Maltan, Kura Kura (NS), Billy Barew’s Beer Bar (Takadanobaba review); Tail’s Ale House (Google map), Devil Craft (open June 2011; craft beer and Chicago deep pan pizza; has plans to become a brewery)
• Tokyo: Bacchus, Towers Standing Bar (NS), Belgian Beer Cafe, There’s also a liquor-store in the basement of the department store in Tokyo station, Yaesu shopping mall, North exit (previously the store was called Hasegawa)
• Shimbashi: Dry Dock (NS), Nagano Sake, Cooper’s Ale House

Non-Yamanote – West Tokyo

• Shinjukugyoenmae: Bamboo (Opening hours; Google Map – B1) (NS) (WIFI)
• Shimokitazawa: Ushi Tora (NS – Ushi Tora 2), Beer Rock
• Kichijoji: Bicke
• Koenji: Koenji Brewpub (NS) (opened 25th Dec 2010)
• Yoyogi: Tanne
• Mejijingu-mae/Omotesando: Cafe Ano (WIFI – ask for password)
• Harajuku: Taproom (NS)
• Nakameguro: Hatos Bar, Taproom (NS) (WIFI)
• Sangenjaya: Pigalle (Google Maps) – new bar from Yamada-san of Cheers open June 20th 2010. Rather generic taps but a few nice Belgian and German bottles (Radebergar Pilsner is very good). Hopefully they will have craft beer on tap as guest beer soon.
• Senzoku: Pangaea (now a brewpub!)
• Jiyugaoka: Clan, O’Carolans, Speyside Way
• Mukogaokayuen: Craft Beer Moonlight (NS)
• Musashi Kousugi: McCanns
• Machida: Copa (coupon), Trafalgar
• Kokubunji: Gambrinus (NS)
• Kamishakuji: Asaya’s Bar
• Kanamecho: Cat & Cask (NS)
• Naka-Itabashi: Riverside
• Oyama/Itabashi-Kuyakusho-mae: Oasis 5
• Ogawamachi, Saitama: Craft Beer – 73 minutes from Ikebukuro on the Tobu-Tojo line so not really in Tokyo, but it’s well worth the trip out to this place. They grow their own wheat and brew their own beer on premises, and it’s very good. They also bake their own bread.

Non-Yamanote – East Tokyo

• Tennozu Isle: TY Harbour
• Roppongi: For Japanese craft beer try Ant n’ Beer (20 taps) and Goshiki (Coedo Brewery). For American craft beer go to Roti. Ant ‘n Bee (20 Japanese craft beer taps and open 6pm to 7am! Under Abbot’s Choice), Roti (NS) (WIFI) (American import craft beer with discount for BIJ app owners), Coedo Brewery’s Goshiki (Coedo’s 5 beers on tap. 6pm-4am, closed Sundays), Abbot’s Choice, Berndt’s, August Beer Club, Ginga Kogen (in the small back street behind the B hotel; not on map above), Belg Aube Belgian Beer Cafe (not on map yet)
• Nogizaka: Kimono Wine Bar (new location)
• Kamiyacho:  Brussels (English)
• Akasaka Mitsuke: Beer Horn (New bar serving Hokkaido’s Otaru Beer. Large sizes come in a real cow horn! Otaru Beer makes one of Japan’s best pilsners, and it’s organic too. Google map), Delirium, 82 Ale House, Belgian Beer Cafe, Bois Cereste
• Iidabashi: La Cachette
• Kagurazaka: Billy Barew’s Beer Bar (Takadanobaba review)
• Toranomon: Delirium, Craft Beer Market (15-20 taps and good prices)
• Toyosu: Belg Aube Belgian Beer Cafe
• Hibiya: Town Cryer
• Ginza: Bulldog (partial NS), JS Lennep, Baden Baden, Belgian Beer Cafe, Ginza Brewery, Houblon Belgian Bar
• Hongo Sanchome: Tail’s Ale House (Google map)
• Ningyocho: Bulldog (new branch opened April 2010 apparently; I’ve not been yet, but I hear it only has a small range of craft beer compared to the Ginza Bulldog)
• Ryogoku: Popeye (NS)
• Maihama (Tokyo Disney Resort): Harvestmoon Brewery Roti’s House

Yokohama

• Yokohama:  Thrash Zone (NS) (now moved – see website for location), Cheers (NS) Green Sheep, Glass Dance Belgian Bar
• Sakuragicho/Bashamichi: Yokohama Brewery & Pivovar, Taproom (NS)
• Tennocho: Pivo (the only bar with Pilsner Urquell on tap all year round in Japan, and kept at the right temperature)
• Kannai: Craft Beer Bar (NS), Rockwells (Izakaya)
• Ishikawacho: Green Charcoal Grill & Bar
• Tsurumi: Great German Cook

A little further than Yokohama but accessible from Tokyo & Yokohama…

• Fujisawa: Century Break
• Hon-Atsugi: Green Bud, Atsugi Brewery Bar

The page is not meant to list every bar in Tokyo/Yokohama. Rowdy gaijin bars, meat markets, bars with rude staff, bars which have nothing more than Kirin + Guinness, etc are not included here. No bars have paid or offered any incentives to be included on this list.

Tokyo/Yokohama listings removed from BIJ

• Christon Cafe: No longer has good beer
• Cataratas: The only bar where I’ve had bad condition beer three times
• JHA Bar: Rude management, and the single beer I had was also in bad condition
• Failte: Dangerously undercooked food – I don’t want to send people where they could get food poisoning!
• Town Cryer, Kamiyacho: Closed