From the golden cans in every konbini to tiny breweries you have never heard of — what Japan drinks and why.

Japanese beer is having its most interesting decade in a century, and the labels, laws, and words behind it are knowable in a few focused hours.

By the end

You will be able to read a Japanese beer menu, tell a lager from an ale by name and taste, order with confidence in a bar or an izakaya, and understand why the beer scene changed so fast after 1994.

Who this is for

Anyone curious about Japanese food and drink — whether you will never leave your own city or you land in Tokyo next month with a thirst.