Top Breweries in Japan

Fukuoka Craft Brewing ★ 4.8 · Fukuoka

hakata · Hakata-ku, Fukuoka 812-0012, Japan

Fukuoka Craft Brewing's taproom opened March 2024 in the Daitos Annex next to Hakata Station. Hakata Lager and a Session IPA from the Okagaki brewery.

Tip: Standing-bar format. Taps rotate weekly; pizza and snacks available.

Funs Brewing Beerhouse Osaka ★ 4.8 · Osaka

Horie and Nishi-ku · 1-15-10 Kitahorie, Nishi-ku, Osaka 550-0014

Horie craft beer bar pouring 10 rotating taps from shortlisted Japanese microbreweries; a Kitahorie basement taproom with seasonal food pairings.

Popeye Ryogoku Beer Pub ★ 4.7 · Tokyo

Sumida-ku, Tokyo 130-0026, Japan

Popeye in Tokyo's Ryogoku is Tatsuo Aoki's legendary craft-beer pub with 70 Japanese taps, the deepest chosen tap list in the country. Pours since 1985.

Tip: Closed Sundays. Happy hour 17:00-20:00. The Japanese-craft tasting flight is the room's signature.

OKURA Brewery, Hotel Okura Fukuoka ★ 4.6 · Fukuoka

hakata · Hakata-ku, Fukuoka 812-0027, Japan

The Hotel Okura Fukuoka runs an in-house craft brewery with a beer-garden brewpub format, pouring lagers and pale ales alongside a pizza-and-grill kitchen.

Tip: Reservations through OpenTable or the hotel. Garden seating in summer.

Nomcraft Brewing Juso Taproom ★ 4.6 · Osaka

Umeda and Kita · 1-11-16 Juso Honmachi, Yodogawa-ku, Osaka 532-0024

The Osaka taproom of Wakayama-based Nomcraft Brewing, opened April 2025 in Juso with 12 rotating taps spanning West Coast IPAs and Kansai collaborations.

West Coast Brewing Umeda ★ 4.5 · Osaka

Umeda and Kita · 1-2-16 Kakudacho, Kita-ku, Osaka 530-0017

Shizuoka's West Coast Brewing operates this Umeda taproom, serving California-style IPAs and lagers with a 20-tap bar and American food menu.

Watering Hole Yoyogi ★ 4.5 · Tokyo

Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 151-0053, Japan

Watering Hole in Tokyo's Yoyogi is the multi-tap craft beer pub pouring Japanese, American and Belgian craft. 20 rotating taps and an over-700-bottle fridge.

Tip: English-friendly staff. Open until 24:00 daily; tasting flights are the way through the menu.

Kyushu Craft Beer Week Festival Beer Tent ★ 4.4 · Fukuoka

tenjin · Chuo-ku, Fukuoka 810-0001, Japan

Kyushu Craft Beer Week pours 93 beers from 39 brewers across Kyushu and Yamaguchi at Tenjin Central Park, with food trucks and brewer talks alongside.

Tip: April 29 to May 5 in 2026. Free entry; tickets per pour Tap list rotates weekly.

Kyoto Brewing Company Taproom ★ 4.4 · Kyoto

fushimi · Minami-ku, Kyoto 601-8211, Japan

The original Kyoto craft brewery in Minami-ku, opened 2014 by three foreign founders. Belgian ales, rice lagers and a glass list rotating weekly.

Kyoto Beer Lab Brewery ★ 4.4 · Kyoto

karasuma-kawaramachi · Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto 600-8138, Japan

A canal-side craft brewery and tap room on the Takasegawa in Kyoto. Eight on-site taps and a beer-and-pizza programme; the city's most-visited counter.

Sapporo Beer Garden Brewery ★ 4.4 · Sapporo

higashi-ku · Higashi-ku, Sapporo 065-0007, Japan

The Sapporo Brewery's brick complex from 1890 now houses the Beer Museum and Beer Garden. Tastings of Sapporo Classic and limited Hokkaido-only labels.

Tip: Museum free, the paid tasting tour with three pours is around 1,000 yen.

Gekkeikan Okura Sake Brewery Museum ★ 4.3 · Kyoto

fushimi · Fushimi-ku, Kyoto 612-8043, Japan

Gekkeikan's working museum and tasting bar in Fushimi, Kyoto, brewing sake since 1637. Walk the old warehouse, taste current ginjo and seasonal nama-zake.

Yellow Ape Craft ★ 4.3 · Osaka

Nakanoshima and Kitahama · 2-4-9 Imabashi, Chuo-ku, Osaka 541-0042

An Osaka-based craft brewery whose flagship Yellow Ape IPA and seasonal wheat beers are served at the Kitahama taproom and 100-plus Kansai bars.

Sapporo Beer En Kaitakushi-kan ★ 4.3 · Sapporo

higashi-ku · Higashi-ku, Sapporo 065-0007, Japan

The Kaitakushi-kan beer hall inside the Sapporo Beer Garden complex. Pours the historic Kaitakushi label alongside jingisukan and the brewery's flagships.

Tip: The Kaitakushi label is the museum-only pour; available only at this hall and the brewery in Eniwa.

Spring Valley Brewery Tokyo ★ 4.3 · Tokyo

Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0034, Japan

Spring Valley Brewery in Tokyo's Daikanyama opened 2015 in Kirin's Logroad complex. Six on-site beers across two floors plus a terrace, all-day kitchen.

Tip: The flight of six is the way to read the menu; the 496 IPA and After Dark stout are the regulars worth remembering.

T.Y. Harbor Brewery ★ 4.3 · Tokyo

Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 140-0002, Japan

T.Y. Harbor in Tokyo's Tennozu Isle is a converted-warehouse brewpub on the canal, brewing American-style ales since 1997. The terrace seats face the boats.

Tip: Lunch is the value play; weekend reservations fill weeks ahead. The riverboat from Asakusa is the scenic arrival.

Mikkeller Tokyo ★ 4.3 · Tokyo

道玄坂2-19-11 Dogenzaka, 1500043 Shibuya, Tokyo

Mikkeller Tokyo in Shibuya is the Danish gypsy brewery's outpost on Dogenzaka, pouring 20 rotating taps of Mikkeller releases and Japanese craft guests.

Tip: Tasting flights of four cover the range. Friday and Saturday nights are dense; arrive by 18:00 for a counter seat.

Harvest Moon Brewery Maihama ★ 4.3 · Tokyo

Ikspiari 4F, 1-4 Maihama, Urayasu, Chiba 279-8529

Harvest Moon Brewery at Tokyo Disneyland Ikspiari is the Chiba-Tokyo brewpub by Hiroshi Sone. Eight rotating in-house beers and a barbecue kitchen.

Tip: Outside Tokyo Disney park gates inside Ikspiari mall. Family-friendly; the SeaSalt Berliner Weisse is the summer pour.

Aozora Brewery Hakata Tenyamachi ★ 4.2 · Fukuoka

hakata · Hakata-ku, Fukuoka 812-0025, Japan

Aozora Brewery's Hakata Tenyamachi outlet runs the brewery's comfort-food menu around its own beer programme: pale ales and amber lagers from Fukuoka.

Tip: Reservations preferred at peak. Open evenings.

Kizakura Kappa Country ★ 4.2 · Kyoto

fushimi · Fushimi-ku, Kyoto 612-8046, Japan

Kizakura's sake brewery and craft-beer brewpub in Fushimi, Kyoto. Tasting flight of nama-zake, the in-house craft pilsner and a sushi-and-soba restaurant.

NITO Coffee and Craft Beer ★ 4.2 · Osaka

Kitashinchi and Fukushima · 2-2-22 Dojima, Kita-ku, Osaka 530-0003

A dual-concept Kitashinchi space: specialty coffee and latte art until afternoon, transitioning to craft beer and simple bites in the evening.

North Island Beer ★ 4.2 · Sapporo

susukino · Chuo-ku, Sapporo 064-0804, Japan

Directly run by the North Island brewery on the outskirts of Sapporo, with six house craft beers. The brewer joins the bar Fridays for guest pour shifts.

Tip: Friday is the brewer's own staff night; the four-tap sampler runs 1,800 yen.

Moon and Sun Brewing ★ 4.2 · Sapporo

odori · Chuo-ku, Sapporo 060-0062, Japan

Moon and Sun opened 2014 as Sapporo's downtown brewpub with in-store brewing equipment. House beers from 100-percent Hokkaido hops, seasonal fruit one-offs.

Tip: Order a tasting flight to test the rotating lineup; pizzas pair well.

Yebisu Brewery Tokyo ★ 4.2 · Tokyo

Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-8522, Japan

Yebisu Brewery Tokyo reopened 2024 at Yebisu Garden Place as Sapporo's working microbrewery and museum. Tasting flights of Yebisu Infinity and limiteds.

Tip: Tasting tickets sold on-site or online.

DevilCraft Kanda ★ 4.2 · Tokyo

Chuo-ku, Tokyo 103-0022, Japan

DevilCraft Kanda in Tokyo is the American-owned multi-floor taproom rotating 15+ Japanese craft brews on tap and pulling Chicago deep-dish pizzas to order.

Tip: The deep-dish takes 40 minutes; order with the first round. English-speaking staff and large groups welcome.

Tsukinokatsura Sake Brewery ★ 4.1 · Kyoto

fushimi · Fushimi-ku, Kyoto 612-8044, Japan

The Fushimi brewery that pioneered modern nigori cloudy sake in 1964 in Kyoto. Walk-in tastings of three labels and the original aged nigori on the shelf.

Tomio Sake Brewery ★ 4.1 · Kyoto

fushimi · Fushimi-ku, Kyoto 612-8047, Japan

Kitagawa Honke's flagship Tomio brewery on the Fushimi sake street in Kyoto. Ginjo and aged-sake tasting bar and one of the city's top junmai daiginjo lots.

Otaru Beer Sapporo ★ 4.1 · Sapporo

susukino · Chuo-ku, Sapporo 064-0804, Japan

The Otaru Beer brewery's Sapporo outpost, pouring its German-style craft lagers and pilsner direct from kegs trucked in daily from the Otaru brewhouse.

Tip: The dunkel and the pilsner are the menu's reliability tests; pretzels at the counter.

Hokkaido Aoi Brewing Tap Room ★ 4.1 · Sapporo

odori · Chuo-ku, Sapporo 060-0062, Japan

A Hokkaido fruit-led craft brewery's tap-room near Odori. Six house taps with seasonal Hokkaido fruit beers (haskap, blueberry) and a small bar snack menu.

Tip: Closed Mon-Tue; the haskap saison is the menu's quiet hero Tap list rotates weekly.

Beers of Japan Festival LaLaport Fukuoka ★ 4.0 · Fukuoka

hakata · Hakata-ku, Fukuoka 812-0893, Japan

Beers of Japan Festival at LaLaport Fukuoka's 1F Oval Park pours from Japanese craft breweries across a multi-day outdoor format, with food trucks and brewer.

Tip: Tickets sold per pour. LaLaport Fukuoka leg runs April 25 to May 6 in 2026.