Between the kitchenware shops that make up Kappabashi-dori and the area around Sensoji Temple is a recently opened British-style pub that brings something new to Tokyo's drinking scene. Campion Ale not only stands out among the stalls that sell Japanese fare in Tokyo's popular sightseeing spot Asakusa, but it is also among the first wave of pubs in the city to start brewing its own beer. (Other celebrated brewpubs in the city include Pangaea in Koyama and Koenji Bakushu Kobo in Koenji.)
"It's all made in here and all fermented in (the building). It's the same setup as a large-scale brewery, just everything's smaller," explains owner James Williams as he points out the setup behind the bar.
Everything from crushing the grains and mixing them with boiling water to allowing the mixture to ferment is done inside the pub — and customers can view the tanks that store the fermenting beer as they walk in. It takes 10 days to two weeks for one of Williams' creations to reach the beer glass.