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Japan wide listings

13 November 2009
Sandaya Kihachiro beer overlooking Kobe Port Tower

Sandaya Kihachiro beer overlooking Kobe Port Tower

The Japan wide listings are a work in progress. I’ve not travelled everywhere in Japan so I am relying on beer lovers like yourself to get in touch and let me know of bars with craft beer that I don’t have listed.

Over the next few months I’ll be trying to expand the listings by looking for bars in places not covered and to include breweries with bars on premises.

This page covers the whole of Japan excluding the bars covered in the Tokyo and Yokohama and Osaka listings. It includes only bars which have craft beer or, at the very least, Belgian beer – it’s not meant to be a complete listing of gaijin bars!

For more ideas/options read Finding good beer in Japan.

Special mention: The Bikkuri Donkey hamburger chain has restaurants throughout Japan and sells Donkey Beer Organic Pilsner, which is made by Otaru Beer (parent company here). Check the (Japanese) website here for stores, or click here to see Google Maps (may not be a complete list).

(NS) = Smoke-free bar.
(WIFI) = Free WIFI.

Japan Beer Map

Japan Beer Map

Okinawa (not shown on map):

  • I’s Public Ale House, Chatan: Website, Google Map
  • Helios: Brewery in Okinawa – main website, beer website. They have a bar in Naha (Website, GR Navi, Google Map). Helios is the only Japanese brewery I have contacted that refused to allow me to feature the brewery on Beer in Japan – every other brewery has been happy to do talk about their beer and brewery if they’ve had the time. Given that they open their Sake distillery to the public and are happy to talk about sake, I can’t help but wonder why they want to hide their beer brewery.

Amami Island (not shown on map):

  • Wachi and Bar Gecko’s, Amami City: Website, Google Street View (opposite Urban Box, 2nd floor). Wachi has a branch in Kyoto also.

Sapporo:

Akita:

Karuizawa, Nagano (not shown on map):

  • Yoho Karuizawa Beer: Karuizawa is the Home of Yoho Brewing, which makes Yona Yona, Tokyo Black, Aooni, and the Karuizawa beer. The Karuizawa range is Wild Forest (American Pale Wheat Ale), National Trust (Stout), and a seasonal beers (Irish Red Ale in Dec 2010). It’s not possible to visit the brewery (as far as I am aware) but you can can order kegs for parties and rent a beer server. Call 0267-66-1211. At time of writing (Dec 2010), 10L is 6500 yen, 19L is 12300 yen, and beer server is 3000 yen – tax extra.
  • Kurizawa Original Croquette & Beer (NS): The ONLY place with craft beer on tap in Karuizawa. Not a bar as such but a fast food place with craft beer (!) You don’t need to order food to drink there. It’s in the Prince Shopping Center in shop AJ-05, between the East and West sections of the shopping center. From the main train station, come out the South Exit and the shopping center is in front of you. Walk towards the west side and you’ll be in area AJ. When I was there they had Yona Yona, Wild Forest, National Trust, the seasonal Irish Red Ale, and Oh! La! Ho! Kolsch on tap.
  • In the train station just inside the ticket barriers is a gift store with Kurizawa and Oh! La! Ho! in cans. It the only place I found in Karuizawa with Oh! La! Ho! and if you’ve never tried the Golden and Amber ales, I recommend you get a few cans. If you’re already exited the station, just ask the train station staff to let you through to the shop.
  • There are many stores throughout Karuizawa with Karuizawa beer, but outside the station north exit I found a place called Yamaya that still had an older seasonal in stock, an IPA similar to Aooni. I never saw this anywhere so it might be worth checking Yamaya for older seasonals – check the fridges and the display area in middle of the store. Take the left branch of the walkway down to street level and you’ll find Yamaya on your left.
  • The Kyu Karuizawa Ginza street in the center of town has a few stores with Asamayama Roman Beer (as well as Karuizawa beer). As you walk up the hill, look for stores with a Karuizawa sign out on the street. Tsuchiya is one place that has Asamayama Roman Beer, though there are other stores (without English names!) that have more of the range.
  • Kawakami An (NS): Just 100m south of Kyu Karuizawa Ginza street and opposite the summer only Koban (police station) is Kawakami An, a famous soba restaurant in the area (soba is a Karuizawa speciality, along with jam, though not eaten together). Kawakami An has Yona Yona in cans. I had warm soba with duck and it was the best soba I’ve had in Japan, and that’s not because I could enjoy it with craft beer!
  • Atelier de Fromage (NS): An Italian restaurant that makes its own cheese in the town and also has Karuizawa beer in cans. Cheese fondue and craft beer – very tasty! Any taxi driver should know the restaurant. It’s between Kyu Karuizawa Ginza street and the station and is less than 1000 yen by taxi from either.

Morioka:

Sendai:

Oritate, Toyama (not shown on map):

  • Unazuki Beer Hall: Website, Google Map. From BIJ reader Lawrence: The Unazuki Beer Hall in Kurobe City, Toyama makes 3 excellent, award-winning microbrews (an amber, red, and dark ale) as well as some beer-flavored foods like beer cake, beer curry, and beer ice cream.  They’ve got a restaurant in-house where you can try any of these items, or you can buy mixes to make them yourself at home.

Hiroshima:

Fukuoka:

See this page for more on Fukuoka. Some of the info may be a little inaccurate/out of date – I’m told Bravo! sells imported beers from Nagano Trading, for example – but it’s a good blog post.

Kagoshima:

Detail for Kansai and Chubu

Central area - detail

Central area - detail

Kobe:

  • Sapporo: English website and coupon, Google Map. There are other branches in Kobe but they don’t brew on premises – see the New Munchen Japanese website for info.
  • Cafe de Brugge: Website seems broken, Google Map, Equiv listing
  • Kobe Sandaya 三田屋, #13 on the 3rd floor of the Mosaic shopping center that overlooks Kobe port. Google maps link here. It serves Sandaya’s own Kihachiro beer on draught - and it’s pretty good beer. As well as being able to drink inside the restaurant, there’s a take-away window for beer so you can drink outside on the stepped decking overlooking the bay – very nice. I’ve never eaten inside the restaurant – it’s a steakhouse. Kobe Sandaya has other places in Kobe – I assume they all have the same beer.

Nishinomiya:

Kyoto:

  • Tadg: Website, Google Map – Renamed from McLoughlin’s Irish Bar to Tadg’s Irish Bar & Restaurant in May 2010, Tadg has the largest draft craft beer selection in Kyoto with 15 taps. Craft beer is 1000yen a pint and if you have the BIJ app and show the coupon in the app, you get free food with your first pint!
  • Bar This Way: Website, Google Map – claims to have the best beer selection in Kyoto, but misses out on beers from Nagano Trading (so doesn’t have Green Flash, Stone, etc) and they have few Japanese craft beers (only Ginga Kogen at present, with Minoh to come in July 2010). That said, they do have bottles of Rogue, Pilsner Urquell, Anchor, a bunch of Belgians, and some “special beers” such as Mugbitter. Very close to Tadg.
  • Wachi: Website, Google Map
  • Yamaoka Sake Shop (Saketen): Website, Google Street View, Google Map, Reusebin listing
  • Jerry’s Pies: Website, Google Map. No craft beer here, but I have to give Jerry’s Pies a special mention, because in the same way that I want to support craft beer, as a Brit, I also want to support a good craft pie! The Cat and Cask in Tokyo serves Jerry’s Pies, and they are pretty good. If you’re in Kyoto and want to pick up a British pie to cook at home, visit here (or get the pies delivered to your home – Japan wide delivery is possible). Tip from The Cat and Cask – instead of just microwaving the pies, finish them off in the oven to crisp the pastry.

Nagoya:

  • Craft Beer Keg, Nagoya: Website, Google Map – newly opened in September 2009. Photos here. I visited here when I was in Nagoya – 10-12 taps, all with Japanese craft beer. Around 800 yen for 9oz, 1200 yen for 14oz. Definitely the bar to visit for craft beer in Nagoya.
  • Don Juan: Website, Google Map. One of the few places open in the afternoons at weekends. Only one craft beer tap – when I was there it was Racer 5. A pint was 950 yen but had a huge 3cm+ head. Second pint I asked for a small head and was told I would have to pay 100 yen more because the head was priced into the 950 yen. I appreciated the honesty and at 1050 yen for a properly poured pint – just 1cm of head – it wasn’t a bad price. Good food but be prepared to wait. Nice place to relax on a Sunday afternoon with a book, a pint, and some good food.
  • Moku Moku. Website, other restaurants in the chain. On the 13th floor at Nagoya Station. Serves beer and food made by the Moku Moku farm in Mie-ken. You can only drink the beer if you eat at the buffet restaurant (around 2000 yen for 90 minutes – beer is extra). I wanted to try this place but they wouldn’t let us reserve a table by phone and said we would need to wait up to an hour if we arrived at 1pm. We were told that if we arrived after 3pm we could probably get in immediately – but they neglected to tell us they close at 4-5pm and we arrived just after 4pm. Even if we’d arrived at 3pm, we would have had to pay for a 90 minute buffet to drink the beer when there wasn’t 90 minutes left. I can’t understand why places close for an hour midday, especially somewhere that insists you pay for a 90 minute buffet. An option if you’re at Nagoya station anyway and can match with the weird hours and don’t mind waiting.
  • London Pub Towser: Website, Google Map – I’ve yet to visit here but I have been told there’s a 550yen per person charge here.
  • Seijo Iishi: Website. Now that Okadaya is gone (they’ve opened Keg instead), this is your best choice for buying takeaway craft beers. The range is very limited but it’s better than nothing. Nagoya station, just outside the Hirokoji side exit. There are a few other locations in Nagoya also – search for 名古屋 on this page.
  • Land Beer Circus: Google Map. Kinshachi Beer’s brewpub. Near Fuishimi station – come out exit 7, go straight and turn left at the 2nd lights. Opposite Hilton hotel. (Not on map)
  • Loreley Beer – Inuyama, near Nagoya. Website, English info. Brewery pub. See the English info for map and directions. (Not on map)
  • Holde Fest – Anjo, near Nagoya. Website. Brewery pub at Den Park – there’s an entrance fee for the park but you don’t need to pay it if you only want beer, you can go to Holde Fest through the east entrance for free. From JR Anjo station, take the bus from stand #4 at the south exit. The ride takes about 25 minutes. (Not on map)

Hamamatsu (not shown on map):

  • Beer House Tir nan-Og: New bar opened in 2010 selling Baird Beers – essentially a Baird taproom but not owned by Baird (though the owners have invested in Baird). Not sure what’s going on with the name of the bar – looks like it was formed by picking out random letters from a bag of scrabble tiles, but it’s actually Irish meaning “Land of Youth” – strange choice given that Baird beer isn’t particularly Irish and neither is the bar design. Maybe all will become clear if you visit the bar! Open from 6pm weekdays, 3pm weekends and national holidays. Closed Tuesdays. Google map here. Phone: 053-450-6006. Baird beer write-up here.

Ise (not shown on map):

  • Biyagura and Nikenchaya: Two restaurants from Isekadoya brewery. Website here with details and maps. I’ve been to Biyagura – the beer was superb, and at 1890 yen for 2 hours all you can drink, was a bargain. English menus at both restaurants.

Okazaki City (not shown on map):

  • Zig Zag (WIFI): Website (English!), Google Map. About 30 minutes south-east of Nagoya by express, 5 minutes walk from Okazaki JR station. Tap beers are the big names - Sapporo, Guinness, Hoegaarden White, Leffe Brune, and Bellevue Kriek or Bass Pale Ale (Kriek is definitely the better of those two) – but there’s a range of Japanese craft beer in bottles from the likes of Ginga Kogen, Nagahama, Kinshachi, Baird, and Isekadoya. There are also a number of Belgian bottles. No cover charge, free WIFI, bilingual staff, and the counter area is no-smoking. Open only Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, from 5pm.

Gotemba (not shown on map):

  • Gotemba Kogen Resort:  Brewery restaurant and bar serving Gotemba Kogen’s beer. Five regular beers plus a seasonal special. Website has full map and directions in English. 1hour from Tokyo by Shinkansen to Mishima and then free shuttle bus. Reasonably priced accommodation too listed on the website if you want to stay in the area.

Numazu (not shown on map):

  • Taproom (NS): Website contains map and directions.

Shizuoka (not shown on map):

  • Beer Yokota: Website, Google Map. From the former manager of Baird’s Nakameguro Taproom. Stocks mainly Baird beers, including one especially made for the bar.

For listings in Osaka, click here. For listings in Tokyo and Yokohama, click here.

Outside the areas listed above? Try Finding good beer in Japan for pointers.

Note: Google Maps often offers discount coupons.

Please do get in touch if you know any bars which can be added to these listings.

The page is not meant to list every bar in Japan. 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.

Japan wide listings removed from BIJ

  • I’ve been told Okadaya (store) in Nagoya no longer has craft beers. Instead they are selling beer online and through Craft Beer Keg, which they manage (see Nagoya listings above). Website, Google Map for Okadaya.