I guess my comments were not the most constructive, but I did click on it hoping to learn something for my next trip, so was kinda like, bah, this is useless!

Ozenoyukidoke, Baird, Suruga Bay and Toshi’s are all worth seeking out. A bit of googling will find good bottle shops. I know of three in Tokyo, one in Osaka and one in Fukuoka – I'm sure there are many others.

Hitachino is available in the US, not cheap, but the espresso stout is world class, strong ale excellent and the red rice beer worth trying for it's uniqueness.

I guess your guide will be a useful lesson in two parts: first, you won't just stumble into craft beer like you're in San Francisco or Portland. I look forward to reading part two, when you find all the awesomeness on your next trip.

Also key: don't think about the price.

Thanks for your comments. I agree, I didn't do a lot of research before hand and I found Popeye's after the fact. I was unaware of Hitachino Nest. I appreciate you bringing that up. I thought Hitachino's Nest was kind of like a brand brewed by Kiuchi Brewery. Regardless, it wasn't on our way and it was not the purpose of our trip. If you don't mind though, I'd like to add it to my list here.

I've only considered it a guide, a “simple” guide to boot, because after my experience I found a few resources and found a few places while I was there and I thought it might help someone searching someday in the future. So, I'd be more than happy to change the name if you think this information wouldn't help someone in the future. However, I'd like to continue adding to it as people give me more suggestions on it. Maybe I should rephrase part of it to state I'm creating a better guide, or maybe call it a “resource guide”?

Thanks for your input and I appreciate any follow up information you can submit!

Mike

Popeye's in Tokyo is one of the best beer bars in the world. There are several good bottle shops in Tokyo and in other major cities like Kyoto or Fukuoka. Hitachino Nest is a world class craft brewer, with many others following up in the 'excellent' category. Nothing is cheap…but hey, it's Japan.