Drink Japan 2022 is one of the world’s largest beer expos, similar to Drinktec in Europe or the Craft Brewers Conference in America. One notable difference is that this annual event in Japan is for the entire beverage and liquid food industry, not just beer, but year after year the beer exhibitors have increased steadily, making this a robust show for the beer industry. Its exhibitors include raw materials suppliers, equipment manufacturers, and more. Whether you’re a beer industry veteran, or an aspiring brewer or entrepreneur hoping to open a brewpub, this is an event well worth your time.

This year’s iteration, running between December 7th and the 9th at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, features not only 400 exhibitors, but also 50 seminars. On the craft beer side, Shunsuke Shimizu, the Director at YOHO Brewing, will speak about the company’s unique strategy for creating loyal fans (the company has grown for 19 consecutive years and has been a leader in Japan’s craft beer industry). Mr. Narihiro Suzuki, the president of Ise Kadoya Beer, will be speaking about the isolation of wild yeasts. As some may know, he pursued his PhD dissertation on yeasts, has continued that research to the present day, and–as you would expect–sometimes uses those yeasts in his award-winning beers.

There are, of course, many other seminars that would be of interest to brewers or anyone interested in the drinks industry in Japan. One major benefit of an expo like this, which includes the entire drinks industry, is that there is ‘cross-category’ sharing of information. For example, Coca-Cola’s speakers may have insights that inspire new practices in the craft beer industry. One important topic that we see good representation for this year is sustainability; there are a handful of lectures from representatives of several major companies that address this. There are also opportunities to get a peek at the future. The VP of SoftBank Robotics Corporation, for example, will speak about how robots and new technology can address labor shortage issues for retailers. Automated keg washers have long been a part of breweries, but what new technologies await?

Please note that if you want to attend seminars, you need to register through the Drink Japan website (English page available). Tickets to the expo are surprisingly free, though you do have to register online for those as well. Interestingly, the organizers are also offering remote meeting possibilities via Zoom, WhatsApp, etc. if you are unable to make it for whatever reason. Staff can support English, Chinese, and Korean. For more details on everything the expo has to offer, please visit their main page. We hope to see you there!

News Flash!
Drink Japan recently informed us that there will be a beer brewed especially for exhibition attendees. The beer has been brewed by none other than Tomoko Sonoda, of Ikspiri (Harvest Moon Beer). Fresh off her World Beer Cup gold medal, she’s brewed an English Bitter. Details here (Japanese only)