Say “kampai” with hundreds of other beer lovers!
Date: Mid-September
Japan celebrates sixteen different national holidays throughout the year. Four of Japan’s official holidays always occur on a Monday, affording many the chance to enjoy a three-day weekend. One of these is Keiro-no-Hi, or Respect for the Aged Day, which falls on the third Monday of September. And what better way to show our respect for the wisest and most wizened among us? By drinking beer at a local craft beer festival, of course!
The Craft Beer Festival in Matsumoto, taking place over the long Keiro-no-Hi weekend, reflects a nationwide trend toward better beer than what Japan’s four major brewing companies offer. The trend ostensibly began in 1994 when the relaxation of certain laws made it possible for small breweries to obtain a beer license and grow their business. New brewers of craft beer are popping up all the time so it’s hard to get an accurate count of how many there are now in Japan. But who’s counting anyway? What’s important is that there are a lot of people out there brewing excellent craft beer.
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Some of them – notably the Matsumoto Brewing Company and Bacca Brewery – practice their craft right here in Matsumoto. There is also some great beer being produced in Azumino, Karuizawa, and Ina, covering the areas north, east and south of Matsumoto. In the mountains and the highlands all over Nagano as well breweries and taprooms are serving up some of the best suds you’ll find anywhere.
But you don’t have to travel all over the place to sample their many kinds of brews. They’re all right here, along with brewers from more far-flung regions of Japan. The Matsumoto’s Craft Beer Festival is held in mid-September every year right on the grounds of Matsumoto Castle. It’s free to come down and take in the atmosphere. There’s plenty of food to go along with your beer. And of course, you get to raise a glass and say “kampai” with hundreds of other beer lovers, all afternoon from Friday to Monday – which, don’t forget, is Respect for the Aged Day, the reason we’re all here. Right?
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