This year marks a quarter century since the advent of craft beer in Japan. After peaking during the initial ji-biru (local beer) boom in the early '90s, within the past two years the number of licensed breweries has once again surpassed 300.
Although the current boom continues apace, unfortunately there are some breweries and bars that won't see what the future holds.
On Aug. 3, Kei Tanaka shuttered his venerable Kura Kura, a 20-year landmark of Japanese beer. Citing a shift in the scene towards 30- or 40-tap strong casual pubs, as well as his own age, Tanaka decided to close Kura Kura, with its throwback style of waiters and bartenders in bow-ties, rather than force it to become something it wasn't.