(photos & text by Brian Kowalczyk) The island of Itsukushima is a special place. It’s wholly protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to what is likely the most well-known symbol of Japan after Mount Fuji: Itsukushima Shrine. Simply doing a photo search on Google for “Japan” will turn up multiple pictures of the…

by Ry Beville Los Angeles is a city many associate with dreams coming true. Maybe that’s because it’s home to Hollywood, ground zero for the making of many an American fairytale of fame and success. For what it’s worth, many have found their way in America’s second-largest city, not just actors and actresses. Small towns…

India pale ales (IPAs) are the first beer style most people associate with the craft beer movement that has swept through America and many other beer-loving countries around the world. But lagers have played an influential role, too, and are still popular even if they don’t attract the same attention. In particular, Brooklyn Brewery’s flagship…

As you head west out of Morioka, the capital of Iwate Prefecture, the city fades quickly into lush green rice fields followed soon by dense forest and the mountains that form the spine of the central Tohoku region. Riding the Tazawako Line, which connects Morioka to Akita, the wait between trains is, at minimum, close…

(photo: McKay and Murtaugh) Hardywood changed Richmond, Virginia. The brewery continues to be a welcome presence in the capital city, and also the state as a whole. Its identity is closely tied to Virginia, too. It’s a symbiotic relationship that perhaps all small breweries hope for. While many express terroir, few can project it nationally…