Greetings: On the occasion of the 6th issue

Iโ€™d like to put aside our usual humor for the greeting and acknowledge the enormous disaster that befell Japan on March 11th. First and foremost, our thoughts go out to victims and survivors in affected areas. We also salute the many personnel mobilized to the region, including members of Red Cross, the Self Defense Forces, policemen and other rescue units.

As many friends and readers of the Japan Beer Times know, I spent roughly three weeks in the disaster area shortly after March 11th, working first as an interpreter, then increasingly as a coordinator for relief supplies. With each passing day, the numbers of volunteers steadily surged, reaching several tens of thousands by early May and the Golden Week holidays. Meanwhile, individuals and aid organizations from all over Japan donated cash and goods in staggering amounts. It was a compassionate response to a tragedy of staggering proportions. And the struggle is likely to continue for years.

I was encouraged to see craft beer bars and breweries in Japan among the first to organize charity events, some of them just days after March 11th. The community spirit of craft beer no doubt inspired such a robust response. Craft beer bars further south went a step further by ordering kegs from Tohoku breweries unable to sell their normal volume because of depressed local economies. I hope such cooperation and assistance between breweries, bars and drinkers continues.

We decided to delay the publication of Japan Beer Times, originally scheduled for release in late April. We felt we should include a feature covering some of the best breweries in Tohoku, then time the release to coincide with Spring in Tohoku. It was the least we could do, and as we continue to try to identify needs during the reconstruction, we will do more.

Craft beer unites us. So can compassion and a continued spirit of volunteerism. Cheers.

Ry Beville
publisher

3ๆœˆ11ๆ—ฅใซๆ—ฅๆœฌใ‚’่ฅฒใฃใŸๅคง้œ‡็ฝใ‚’ๆ€ใ„ใ€ไปŠๅ›žใฏใ„ใคใ‚‚ใฎใ‚ˆใ†ใชใƒฆใƒผใƒขใ‚ขใŸใฃใทใ‚Šใฎใ”ๆŒจๆ‹ถใฏใ‚„ใ‚ใพใ™ใ€‚็งใŸใกใฎๆƒณใ„ใฏใพใšไฝ•ใ‚ˆใ‚Šใ‚‚ใ€้œ‡็ฝใฎ็Š ็‰ฒ่€…ใจ่ขซ็ฝ่€…ใซๅ‘ใ„ใฆใ„ใพใ™ใ€‚่ตคๅๅญ—ใ€่‡ช่ก›้šŠใ€่ญฆๅฏŸใ€ใƒฌใ‚นใ‚ญใƒฅใƒผ้ƒจ้šŠใชใฉใฎ็ต„็น”ใซๅฑžใ—ใ€่ขซ็ฝๅœฐใงๆดปๅ‹•ใ™ใ‚‹ๆ–นใ€…ใซๆ•ฌๆ„ใ‚’่กจใ—ใพใ™ใ€‚

ๅ‹ไบบใฎ็š†ๆง˜ใ€ใ‚ธใƒฃใƒ‘ใƒณใƒปใƒ“ใ‚ขใƒปใ‚ฟใ‚คใƒ ใ‚บใฎ่ชญ่€…ใฎ็š†ๆง˜ใฏใ”ๅญ˜็Ÿฅใฎ้€šใ‚Šใ€็งใฏ้œ‡็ฝๅพŒใพใ‚‚ใชใ„้ ƒใ‹ใ‚‰3้€ฑ้–“ใซๆธกใ‚ŠๆฑๅŒ—ใซๆปžๅœจใ—ใพใ—ใŸใ€‚ใพใš้€š่จณใฎไป•ไบ‹ใ‚’ใ—ใ€ๅพใ€…ใซๆ•‘ๆด็‰ฉ่ณ‡ใฎ่ชฟๆ•ดใฎไป•ไบ‹ใ‚’ๆ‹…ใฃใฆใ„ใใพใ—ใŸใ€‚ๆ—ฅใซๆ—ฅใซใƒœใƒฉใƒณใƒ†ใ‚ฃใ‚ขใŒ้›†ใพใ‚Šใ€5ๆœˆๅˆๆ—ฌใซใฏGWใซๅˆใ‚ใ›ใฆๆ•ฐไธ‡ใซใ‚‚ใฎใผใ‚‹ไบบใ€…ใŒ้›†ใพใ‚Šใพใ—ใŸใ€‚ๅŒๆ™‚ใซๅ…จๅ›ฝใฎๅ€‹ไบบใ‚„ๆง˜ใ€…ใชๆดๅŠฉๅ›ฃไฝ“ใ‹ใ‚‰ใ€็พฉๆด้‡‘ใ‚„้ฉšใใปใฉๅคšใใฎ็‰ฉ่ณ‡ใŒๅฏ„ใ›ใ‚‰ใ‚Œใพใ—ใŸใ€‚ใใฎ้‡ใŒ้œ‡็ฝใฎๅคงใใ•ใ‚’็‰ฉ่ชžใฃใฆใ„ใพใ™ใ€‚่‹ฆ้—˜ใฏใ“ใฎๅ…ˆใ‚‚็ถšใ„ใฆใ„ใใงใ—ใ‚‡ใ†ใ€‚

้œ‡็ฝใ‹ใ‚‰ๆ•ฐๆ—ฅๅพŒใ€ๆ—ฅๆœฌๅ…จๅ›ฝใฎใ‚ฏใƒฉใƒ•ใƒˆใƒ“ใ‚ขใƒปใƒใƒผใ‚„้†ธ้€ ๆ‰€ใซใ‚ˆใฃใฆใ„ใกๆ—ฉใ้–‹ๅ‚ฌใ•ใ‚ŒใŸใƒใƒฃใƒชใƒ†ใ‚ฃใƒผใƒปใ‚คใƒ™ใƒณใƒˆใ‚’็›ฎใซใ—ใ€็งใฏๅ‹‡ๆฐ—ใฅใ‘ใ‚‰ใ‚Œใพใ—ใŸใ€‚ใ“ใฎใ‚ˆใ†ใชๅผทใ„็ต†ใŒใ€ใ‚ฏใƒฉใƒ•ใƒˆใƒ“ใ‚ขใซ้–ขใ‚ใ‚‹ไบบใ€…ใฎใ‚ณใƒŸใƒฅใƒ‹ใƒ†ใ‚ฃใซใ‚ˆใ‚Šๅผทใ„ไธ€ไฝ“ๆ„Ÿใ‚’ๆŒใŸใ›ใ‚‹ใ“ใจใงใ—ใ‚‡ใ†ใ€‚็ตŒๆธˆใŒๆ‰“ๆ’ƒใ‚’ๅ—ใ‘ใ€้€šๅธธใฎ้‡ใ‚’่ฒฉๅฃฒใงใใชใ„ใงใ„ใ‚‹ๆฑๅŒ—ๅœฐๆ–นใฎ้†ธ้€ ๆ‰€ใ‹ใ‚‰ใ€ใฏใ‚‹ใ‹ๅ—ใฎๅœŸๅœฐใซใ‚ใ‚‹ใ‚ฏใƒฉใƒ•ใƒˆใƒ“ใ‚ขใƒปใƒใƒผใŒๅ•†ๅ“ใ‚’ๆณจๆ–‡ใ™ใ‚‹ใชใฉใ€ใ•ใ‚‰ใซไธ€ๆญฉๅ…ˆใธ้€ฒใ‚“ใงใ„ใพใ™ใ€‚้†ธ้€ ๆ‰€ใจใƒใƒผใ€ใ‚ฏใƒฉใƒ•ใƒˆใƒ“ใ‚ขใ‚’ๆ„›ใ™ใ‚‹ไบบใ€…ใฎๆ”ฏๆดใฎ่ผชใŒใ€ใ“ใ‚Œใ‹ใ‚‰ใ‚‚็ถšใ„ใฆใ„ใใ“ใจใ‚’้ก˜ใ„ใพใ™ใ€‚

4 ๆœˆไธ‹ๆ—ฌใซไบˆๅฎšใ—ใฆใ„ใŸใ‚ธใƒฃใƒ‘ใƒณใƒปใƒ“ใ‚ขใƒปใ‚ฟใ‚คใƒ ใ‚บๆ˜ฅๅทใฎ็™บ่กŒใ‚’้…ใ‚‰ใ›ใ‚‹ใ“ใจใซใ—ใŸใฎใฏใ€ๆฑๅŒ—ใฎ็ด ๆ™ดใ‚‰ใ—ใ„้†ธ้€ ๆ‰€ใ‚’็‰น้›†ใ™ใ‚‹ในใใ ใจ่€ƒใˆใŸใ‹ใ‚‰ใงใ—ใŸใ€‚ๅถ็„ถใซใ‚‚ๆœฌ่ชŒใฎ็™บ่กŒๆ™‚ๆœŸใฏใ€ๆฑๅŒ—ๅœฐๆ–นใŒๆ˜ฅใ‚’่ฟŽใˆใ‚‹้ ƒใจ้‡ใชใ‚Šใพใ—ใŸใ€‚ใใ‚ŒใŒ็งใŸใกใซๅ‡บๆฅใŸใ›ใ‚ใฆใ‚‚ใฎใ“ใจใงใ‚ใ‚Šใ€ๅพฉ่ˆˆใซๅ‘ใ‘ใฆใฎใƒ‹ใƒผใ‚บใ‚’่ฆ‹ๆฅตใ‚ใ‚‹ๅŠชๅŠ›ใ‚’ใ•ใ‚‰ใซ็ถšใ‘ใฆๅ‚ใ‚Šใพใ™ใ€‚

ใ‚ฏใƒฉใƒ•ใƒˆใƒ“ใ‚ขใŒ็งใŸใกใ‚’็น‹ใ’ใพใ™ใ€‚ใŠไบ’ใ„ใ‚’ๆ€ใ„ใ‚„ใ‚‹ๆฐ—ๆŒใกใจใƒœใƒฉใƒณใƒ†ใ‚ฃใ‚ข็ฒพ็ฅžใฏ็ตถใˆใ‚‹ใ“ใจใชใ็ถšใใฎใงใ™ใ€‚ไนพๆฏใ€‚

็™บ่กŒไบบ๏ผšใƒฉใ‚คใƒปใƒ™ใƒดใ‚ฃใƒซ

In this Issue:

Tohoku Beer Pilgrimage
Water, Water Everywhere
Destination Sapporo
Hopping to San Francisco
Beer Roundup (Spring 2011)
Scrawlings (Spring 2011)


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.