Been to a craft beer festival in Japan? You may likely have attended one organized by Oda Ryoji, the chairman of the Japan Craft Beer Association (JCBA). Oda was the first to host a large-scale craft beer festival in Japan, way back in 1998, an event that drew 800 people. Today, his organization runs festivals in major cities across Japan with a total attendance of over 20,000 people.

Oda notes that his original goal was not festivals. In 1993 when the Hosokawa administration announced liberalization of brewery laws to allow for craft breweries, Oda decided to learn more about beer. He had already seen wine festivals and tasting seminars and wanted to create something similar for beer. He discovered that there was a teacher at the University of California, Davis, whom he learned from, and he also attended a tasting course at the Siebel Institute in 1994.

Oda launched JCBA in July of 1994, just as craft beer was about to kick off in Japan. “Initially, we were about beer tasting and we created a standard for beer judges. We held our first beer competition in 1996, but realized that people also wanted to drink what we were judging. That’s why we launched our first festival in 1998.” Oda also published a translation of beer critic Michael Jackson’s “Beer Companion” that year.

The craft beer scene is much more mature now, but Oda asserts there is still a long way to go. “We need to spread more information about craft beer in Japan, but we also have to be a part of the world beer circuit, to raise awareness overseas. Japanese breweries have to participate more overseas. Japan imports lots of beer, but now its time to start sending it out.”

Asked about import craft beer at his Great ‘Japan’ Beer Festivals, he explains, “Well, at its heart, it’s a craft beer festival. So long as it’s craft, I think it should be a part of the festivals.” But Oda also wants domestic brewers to learn from the successes of these brews. Last year he hosted a brewers’ conference attended by brewers from America who shared their knowledge and experience. Another conference is planned again for this year. Exciting stuff ahead!

This article was published in Japan Beer Times # () and is among the limited content available online. Order your copy through our online shop or download the digital version from the iTunes store to access the full contents of this issue.