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Within every country is a trail waiting to be blazed… and a beer (or nine) waiting to be consumed along that path, and if that trail takes you to every brewery on and off the map, even better. A map is never the territory, but having a guide to wander that territory is invaluable. Released in 2013, Craft Beer in Japan: the essential guide by Dr. Mark Meli is the current de facto map for would-be explorers of craft beer across the islands of Japan and it’s the first of its kind. In it, Mark–an American expat, professor of cross-cultural studies at Kansai University in Osaka, and craft beer enthusiast writ large–not only explores the 200 craft beer breweries in Japan, but also shares the lowdown on popular craft beer bars, lists festivals, and dives into the history of beer in Japan (which turns out is short). It even has a simple rating system.
In writing this guide, Mark traveled around the country sampling many beers. “On the plus side, many good breweries are expanding, making their beer more available; lots of new pubs are opening; lots of new breweries are opening, where the brewers actually have experience brewing craft beer already; and Belgian styles, low-ABV session beers, and barrel aging are getting more popular. On the negative side: festivals are getting to be far too crowded to enjoy, lots of breweries doing the Omiyage [souvenir beer] thing just keep putting out boring stuff even though all this is happening all around them, and the prices have gone up in the country where beer is already an expensive luxury item. Don’t see that last one changing any time soon, though!”
While the English version of Mark’s book has been well received within and beyond the borders of Japan, it’s been all but ignored by Japanese beer drinkers outside Mark’s circle of friends and industry contacts and completely ignored by Japanese literature. (This may be more of a testament to the quality of mandatory English education in Japan rather than any strike against growing craft beer enthusiasm.) Mark says, “Most of the sales have been to expats and tourists coming to Japan, as well as to hard-core beer geeks around the world…I am very excited to see what kind of impact the Japanese version makes. I feel my approach is quite different from the vast amount of literature in Japanese on craft beer and thus the book can add something original to the discourse.”
While the book may not have had the intended impact, the craft beer scene in Japan is still growing. “The craft scene is still taking off like a madman and shows no sign of slowing down, despite inflation and tax increases,” says Mark. There is also interest outside of Japan on the craft beer scene in Japan. Because of his book, Mark was recently invited to give a lecture at the Japan Society in New York, where last year’s lecturer was Garret Oliver of Brooklyn Brewery. “At the Japan Society, I will give a lecture and lead a tasting,” says Mark. “The topic is on the evolving culture of beer and food in Japan.” The focus will be on craft beers that use Japanese ingredients or are influenced by sake brewing. Through this, Mark hopes to highlight some of the new, original trends in Japanese craft.
If you have any interest in Japanese breweries or want a map to guide you from city to city and pint to pint, then definitely pick up a copy of Craft Beer in Japan: the essential guide. Your travels may place you on a barstool next to Mark at one of the many craft beer bars in Kansai that he frequents regularly. One of the great things about craft beer is being able to make connections, and this book can do just that, on and off the map. Kempai!
