It will shock no one to hear 2020 has been brutal for bars and breweries. During Japan¡¯s state of emergency, many breweries stopped making beer entirely, having no customers to sell to, and most are still seeing sales as low as 30% compared to the same time last year.
As bad as it¡¯s been for long-standing establishments with loyal followers, for new entrants it¡¯s been even tougher. One company, , announced late last year that it would begin importing European craft beers and open a bottle shop and tap room in Kyoto¡¯s new ShinPuhKan shopping and hotel complex. In December 2019, it seemed like a great idea, and the bar was scheduled to open in early April.
When Dig the Line finally had the chance to open its doors in June, it was to a city without tourists, in a country where beer festivals, a key venue for promoting new imports, had nearly all been canceled.
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