ABOUT・サイトについて
Good beer is worth the walk.
Sanpo Beer is a guide to Japan's craft breweries and the places that pour them - in English and Japanese, because good beer should be accessible to everybody.
We focus on places that are genuinely worth seeking out: breweries, taprooms, beer bars, bottle shops and other spots where craft beer is more than just another item on the menu.
Why "sanpo"?
Sanpo (散歩) means a walk or a stroll, but it also captures the kind of experience we like about craft beer.
It might be wandering through the neighborhood after work and stopping for a beer, making an evening out of visiting a couple of taprooms, or finding somewhere interesting simply because you decided to take a different street.
There doesn't always need to be a destination. A good walk, a cold beer and a little curiosity can be enough.
Sanpo Beer is about helping you find the places worth stopping for along the way.
Different languages, same counter
Craft beer in Japan is made by people who take it seriously, in two communities that don't overlap as much as they should. Travelers who'd love this beer can't find it. Locals who make and pour it deserve more people at the counter. So we built Sanpo Beer in both languages, because a tap list turns out to be a very good place for strangers to meet. If you're visiting: here's the beer worth the trip. If you're brewing or pouring it: here come some new faces. Kanpai works in every language.
Beyond the big five
Most of the beer poured in Japan comes from five companies. The rest is where it gets interesting — hundreds of small breweries making beer with their own hands and their own ideas. That's the beer we list, and we'd rather list fewer places and be right about them. We’re interested in places where craft beer is actually part of the reason to go.