Devilcraft Jiyugaoka The Bottom Line Devilcraft Jiyugaoka doesn’t veer too far off the road for what has made the Devilcraft chain so successful – a great list of beers paired up with some great pizzas. If you’re in the area, then Devilcraft Jiyugaoka is one of the best choices in the area to sit and relax with a couple of …
The Silver Lining in Umeda, Osaka
The Silver Lining Bottom Line The Silver Lining is a great bar to go to for friendly staff and comfortable atmosphere. It’s a little off the beaten path in Umeda, but well worth the walk, especially if you’re hungry. While the bar doesn’t have a huge beer selection, what they do have is always good quality. Their food is some …
Craft Beer Bar iBrew Ebisu in Ebisu, Tokyo
Craft Beer Bar iBrew Ebisu The Bottom Line It’s great to have some cheap craft beer in what seems to be Tokyo’s newest area for craft beer bars. Craft Beer Bar iBrew Ebisu doesn’t stray from the tried-and-tested formula of cheap craft beer with slightly expensive food, but then that’s what works for people. While some branches of the chain …
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Brunton’s in Ishikawacho, Kanagawa
Brunton’s The Bottom Line It’s great to see a place styled like Brunton’s, more in tune with its surroundings and with some character, and I wanted to like Brunton’s – but the prices for the beer and food left me feeling a bit like I was paying for the style of the bar, rather than actually for the beers. The …
Kokopelli in Ishikawacho, Kanagawa
Kokopelli The Bottom Line Kokopelli is definitely one of the nicest little bars I’ve been to and I will be going back again – both for the beers and for the great food served there. That’s not to sound dismissive about the beers – the three taps they had did have some variety on there and was good value for …
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Tsukinowaguma in Gakugeidaigaku, Tokyo
Tsukinowaguma The Bottom Line If you’re in Gakugeidaigaku, and you’re desperate for some craft beer, then you can get the train to either Nakameguro or Jiyugaoka, as it is hard to recommend Tsukinowaguma over anything else that’s close by. While there are some taps of craft beer, the place is pricey for what you get both in terms of beer …
Y Market Brewing Taproom in Nagoya, Aichi
Y Market Brewing Taproom The Bottom Line There’s no better place than a brewery to get the freshest beers going, and with Y Market Brewing Taproom, you have another choice after Y Market Brewing Kitchen to do that. However, Y Market Brewing Taproom is a trek out of the city to do it, so it’s probably only the die-hard Y …
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Hopbuds in Nagoya, Aichi
Hopbuds The Bottom Line Is Hopbuds a bottle shop turned bar, or a bar turned bottle shop? Doesn’t matter as it does both well enough that you should go there for a few beers while you’re in Nagoya. The multi-nationality makeup of Hopbuds means you’ll end up talking with people from different backgrounds, a welcome change in what seemed to …
Barchie’s Kamakura in Kamakura, Kanagawa
Barchie’s Kamakura The Bottom Line Barchie’s Kamakura was a great little find for us and we’re definitely going back down there – but for the food and not for the beer. Not to say that the beer is bad, but the narrow range of taps meant that it was pretty much limited to one or two types of beer. Make …
Trunk Coffee & Craft Beer in Nagoya, Aichi
Trunk Coffee & Craft Beer The Bottom Line Trunk Coffee & Craft Beer was a surprise for me as a random find and is a bit off the beaten track, but if you’re in the area then pop along to get a decent selection of craft beer from Japan, while your friends can drink some very nice coffee. The chilled …