This year marks a quarter century since the advent of craft beer in Japan. After peaking during the initial ji-biru (local beer) boom in the early ¡®90s, within the past two years the number of licensed breweries has once again surpassed 300.
Although the current boom continues apace, unfortunately there are some breweries and bars that won¡¯t see what the future holds.
On Aug. 3, Kei Tanaka shuttered his venerable Kura Kura, a 20-year landmark of Japanese beer. Citing a shift in the scene towards 30- or 40-tap strong casual pubs, as well as his own age, Tanaka decided to close Kura Kura, with its throwback style of waiters and bartenders in bow-ties, rather than force it to become something it wasn¡¯t.
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