The Local Brew

The inception of beer was a result of the advent of agriculture, the organized human activity that puts food on our collective ta...

From the ‘Land of Sky Blue Waters... A place as natural and remote as Kumano, straddling the border between Wakayama and Mie pref...

There are so many local breweries in Japan with the name “kogen” (mountain heights) in them (off hand, I can think of at least si...

Likely, Oktoberfest was the world’s first officially sanctioned beer bust, originating from the German custom of finishing the la...

Gunma seems to be a prefecture of surprises. Hardly the most famous of tourist destinations, it pretty much resigns itself to...

I love Hokkaido, and have often gone bicycle touring there. A friend and I once decided to ride from Otaru to Hakodate, two of th...

A huge art glass complex in the mountains of Gunma Prefecture is not the most likely spot to find a craft brewery and restaur...

Koedo Beer was founded in Kawagoe in the spring of 1996 and, after several years of growth, a new brewery was built a bit further...

Munich’s famous beer event, the Oktoberfest, actually begins in late September and runs until early October. If you’re readin...

While Yokohama hardly conjures up images of outdoor activities, a lot of what most visitors do there involves a great deal of walk...

TY Harbor Brewery is a surprising oasis in the midst of Tokyo’s waterfront warehouse district. Not surprisingly, it is a spin-off ...

The northeastern reaches of Tokyo are blessed with some remarkably fine hiking areas, with trailheads less than two hours from the...