hopulist issue 4

京 都 市
TOKYO
That first craft beer establishment of the trip was
Hitachino Brewing Lab, located on the outer
perimeter of Tokyo’s central railway station
(crucially also just a short wobble from the finish
line of the Tokyo Martahon). Hitachino is probably
one of the best-known Japanese craft brewers on
a global scale as it’s been around for a number of
years and managed to work hard on its export to a
point where it is relatively commonplace in Europe
and even the USA. This bar is a prime spot for
starting your Japanese craft beer adventure, not
only because its location is practically impossible to
miss, but also because Hitachino is a nice middleof-the-road
brewer that’s well established. The
bar is modern, clean and offers the core range of
Hitachino beers on tap. There’s also the occasional
special or limited edition beer that makes it onto
the roster, as well as a good selection of pub snacktype
food. One of the other great things about the
bar is the view – floor to ceiling windows look out
onto a sky scraper-lined avenue that typifies Tokyo.
From a personal point of view, I’m not sure I’ve
sampled a more satisfying beer – a Dai Dai Pale
Ale, with 42 kilometers in my legs, watching the
world go by in this fantastic city.
After a few days for emotions to settle down
and legs to recover, we decided to visit a bar that
showcases why Tokyo should really be considered
a serious city when it comes to craft beer.
Influential Danish brewer Mikkeller has its own
Tokyo bar that has been established for several
years, becoming an important part of its global
business. But despite this being an arm of a fairly
large and well-known European brewer, the bar
has a local atmosphere that could fool you into
thinking it was born and bred in Japan. The art
deco exterior is perfectly paired with a stripped
back and minimal interior where you’ll find a
fantastic array of Mikkeller beers and a few from
other local producers too. The bar is located a very
short walk from one of Tokyo’s most iconic sights
– Shibuya crossing. If you don’t know what that is,
imagine literally hundreds of people crossing at a
road intersection at a time, set against a backdrop
of flashing neon and lit up advertisements.
The Mikkeller bar has huge windows at the front
that in summer open up onto the street to create
an exclusive block party environment that we
imagine is unrivalled elsewhere in the city. Also,
in keeping with the theme of running, there’s a