Sato Hitomi is the director of the Belgian Beer Information Center. How did you become such a prominent advocate of Belgian beer in Japan? My work started in the early 90s when I was researching market conditions in Japan for the import of Belgian products. Diamonds and chocolate were an early part of my research,…

Sugawara Ryohei is the president of M’s Kitchen. You run several bars and restaurants, you import, you brew, you organize events and festivals. How would you characterize your role in Japan’s beer scene? That’s a difficult question. I’m both a businessman and a brewer. I started from the business side, however. I opened Belgaube in…

Konishi Akiko is a brewer at Konishi Shuzo, a 463-year-old sake brewery where her father is the president. The company began to import Belgian beer in 1986 and brew its own in 1995—the fifth craft brewery in Japan to receive its license. It is today one of Japan’s largest importers of Belgian beer. Why did…

Many people differentiate between “craft beer bars” and “Belgian beer bars” in Japan, but the distinction is becoming increasingly blurred. Some bars that originally specialized in Belgian beers have begun carrying domestic craft beer, while many more bars that focus on domestic craft beer are increasingly serving Belgian beers. At some establishments, like Craft Beer…

by Kumagai Jinya Visitors from all over Japan flock to Izumo Shrine in Shimane Prefecture’s Izumo City, but in October, the gods gather as well. Along with Ise Shrine, its only peer, Izumo Shrine is one of Japan’s most important. Just about an hour away by train or car, where the prefectural government resides in…