There's a craft beer shop near my house that has just started serving its house beer. It's refreshingly light and has a smooth taste! This has definitely increased my excitement about visiting. The shop has a standing setup, but there are two chairs at the counter! You can also order side dishes from the neighboring noodle shop and enjoy them inside. Occasionally, I see the noodle shop delivering orders as well. The picture shows the small size.

I visited Ordinary Bitter for 1,050 yen on a weekday after work. There were 6 customers ahead of me, and no one came after. The father was running the place alone. The brewing has started. The bitter ale has a nice level of bitterness, which is good. When they say it's easy to drink, I have to wonder about that! (laughs)

I discovered a shop while walking. It seems to have opened around June 2023. It’s a standing bar that serves craft beer. I tried a tasting of two different types for 700 yen. They served them in cute glasses, and the beer was delicious. It was wonderful. Considering it's craft beer, the prices are relatively reasonable. Since there’s no kitchen, they only offer simple snacks, but bringing your own food is allowed. There’s a Life supermarket nearby, so you can bring in side dishes. That’s fantastic! They even mentioned that you can order takeout from the soba restaurant next door. How interesting! In the back of the shop, a fermentation device is being installed, and it seems that original beer will be available soon—around spring 2024. I'm really looking forward to it. This place is perfect for a light drink. I must keep an eye on it!

I took a stroll around the Hongo area. After getting a haircut at a barbershop, I randomly discovered this place called "Hongo Kikusaka-cho Kamu," where I can enjoy a quick drink. It's a standing drink style shop, and I'm looking forward to tasting craft beer! The tap list is as follows: KOBO Brewery (Toyama), Kanpai Brewing (Tokyo), T.Y. Harbor Brewery (Tokyo), U.B.P Brewery (Saitama), and Baeren Brewery (Iwate). Since I want to enjoy multiple varieties, I decided to go for a beer flight with two types. IPA really is delicious. With its rich flavors, I sipped on the beer while snacking on some sauerkraut. Other snacks on the menu included white liver mousse, tete de moine (cheese), smoked cheese, salami slices, and various snacks. By the way, you can bring in your own food, so it's great that you can order delivery from nearby. I hadn't really explored around Hongo much before, but there are plenty of nice shops, making it worth the effort to discover more!

In Bongo Kikuzaka, there are a few fish markets, meat shops, a laundry service, and a western clothing store humorously named "Zubon-ya", along with several casual dining options like cafes, French restaurants, soba shops, and dumpling stalls. It seems that this shopping street used to be quite lively. However, when we first moved here, there was only a small grocery store that didn’t quite fit the label of a supermarket (although it was very convenient for us). Once larger supermarkets opened nearby, that little store shut down almost immediately. Now, the only remnants of its former vibrancy are the streetlights that illuminate the area. Nevertheless, there is some gradual renewal, with a steakhouse opening and a sake brewery setting up an office here, creating an interesting atmosphere on the gently sloping street. You can still find old wooden houses and the former pawn shop where Higuchi Ichiyo once passed by, giving a nostalgic feel reminiscent of the Taisho and early Showa eras. The alleys feature old wells and stray cats basking in the sun, lending a serene charm to the surroundings. On a previous visit, I noticed that the former sushi restaurant, Gen-san, had turned into a different establishment. I peeked inside and saw several women chatting while standing in a concrete-finished interior. The sign at their feet read "Beer Brewery & Beer Stand,” so I decided to go in. There’s a cheese shop that makes cheese in Bongo, so if they also serve local beer, it would truly be a farm-to-table experience. Inside, there were tables on the right, a beer server and counter seats in the middle, and larger tables towards the back, all set up for standing dining. The place has a casual vibe with cash-on-delivery service for the beer from the tanks available that day. However, when we visited, the place had just opened and only offered snack foods, but if it meant we could drink Bongo-produced beer, I couldn't complain... at least, that was the plan. It seems they won't be brewing there for some time, and instead, they're serving select brands that caught the owner's eye. Curiosity piqued, we each ordered a beer. My wife chose a beer from Aichi, while I opted for one from Toyama in a large glass. The cold beer slid down my throat beautifully; any time is a good time for a refreshing drink! I used to look for any opportunity to drink beer, but lately, I’ve found myself drinking less frequently. Over recent years, what once tasted bitter started to taste quite sweet to me, so I find myself only having one beer these days. It’s interesting how our taste changes with age! The beer I had was a dark lager brewed with Toyama water by a Czech brewer. KOBO Brewery's dark lager had a pronounced bitterness and a smooth texture, a stark contrast to the sweeter beers often found in Japan. It had a pleasant acidity, with a fantastic balance of flavors overall. Drinking beer from a nicely chilled glass is indeed a treat. My wife had ordered the Y Market beer, brewed in Nagoya's Meieki, a well-known brand for producing a wide variety of craft beers. We tried the popular Ropin Nectar, which was very aromatic and fresh, with a strong body that made it quite satisfying. As this is a new brewery to look forward to, we decided to order more beers. Oh, garlic butter pretzels are available too! So, we got those along with the KUJUKURI OCEAN beer from Chiba and the white whale IPA from Koganei Brewery. The KUJUKURI OCEAN stout was strong and impactful, like enjoying a robust Italian roast coffee, characterized by a rich roasted aroma that perfectly matched its flavor. It was thick and delicious! The alcohol content was reported at 7%, so it was a bit stronger, but there were no hints of alcohol smell, and its color, taste, and scent all evoked coffee or dark chocolate. The white whale IPA was a hazy IPA with a strong bitterness followed by a noticeable sweetness. While I usually prefer to avoid sweet aftertastes, I found this one to have such robust bitterness that it was no problem at all. The hop aroma was intense, and the way it was poured resulted in an impressively fine and creamy foam that felt incredible going down. After finishing our beers, the owner kindly showed us the area where they plan to install the brewing equipment and even let us peek inside the beer cooler. From the way he talked, it was clear he has an immense passion for brewing beer. I can't wait for the Bongo-produced beer to be finished and ready to drink. Currently, as it's a solo operation, they are closed on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, and open in the evenings from 5:30 PM on Wednesdays and Fridays, while weekends start at 2 PM. This is an exciting new spot, and I have high hopes for its future. Thank you very much for the meal!