Sakuragicho. If you travel three minutes on the Keihin-Tohoku line in either direction, you end up at two stations (Yokohama and Kannai) that have a plethora of craft beer bars or craft beer shops, yet in Sakuragicho, I can only think of Sakura Taps and now Kitano Ace. I had just come back from a day of fun with the kids when I was looking for some beer but Sakura Taps was not open.
A decent range of some of the big manufacturers of Japanese craft beers with a couple of smaller ones.
Kitano Ace is located in the north end of JR Sakuragicho station which underwent a massive overhaul in 2014 and 2015, getting rid of some decent shops (Bubby’s Pie Shop) and some bog standard ones that can be found anywhere (Uniqlo). While Kitano Ace won’t win any awards for stocking obscure rare Japanese craft beers, it does have a solid range of some of the big craft beer manufacturers, such as Baird Beer, Kiuchi Brewery (makers of Hitachino Nest), Yo-Ho Brewing with some local breweries in Kanagawa such as Yokohama Beer and also Sankt Gallen. There were also some random cans from Helios Brewery from Okinawa as well as Roman Beer from Nagano too thrown in for good measure. The best thing about the display was that the craft beers are placed centre and upwards, with the domestic range of Kirin, Asahi et al thrown in the bottom of the fridge.
Kitano Ace Sakuragicho Details
Open: 10:00 ~ 21:00
Phone: 045-228-9231
Homepage (in Japanese): https://www.ace-group.co.jp/store/182_348.html
How To Get ToKitano Ace Sakuragicho
Kitano Ace is located at the north end of JR Sakuragicho station. Take the north exit gates, and walk through the building in front of you. It’s located on the left hand side. It can also be reached from Sakuragicho on the Yokohama Blue Line subway too.
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Kitano Ace is similar to Seijo Ishii, both are upmarket supermarkets, whose products vary very much from one shop to the other. Some shops are very small and will only have a very small selection of craft beers, while others have a large shelf. As Rob wrote, the large breweries are well represented, but it is always worth looking for seasonal beers or some special offers. I rarely pass without buying at least one can or bottle.
Got another one coming up soon in Ebina – just around the corner from Ebina Beer. Seemed to be more focussed on Kanagawa breweries than across Japan.