Japanese Beer #1

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It is said that the first person to drink beer in Japan was either the 8th Shogun of the Edo period, Tokugawa Yoshimune, or the doctor Sugita Gempaku, who was active at the same time.

In 1724, a delegation from the Netherlands sent beer to the Shogun Yoshimune, as recorded in the annals of the time.
The beer also made its way into the hands of the general public, and was drunk by Sugita Gempaku.
Although the shogun Yoshimune did not leave any comments on the beer, Sugita Gempaku did.
According to his comments, he thought the beer was "exceptionally bad" and "had no taste", and that it was not delicious.

Later, in the late Edo period, beer began to be imported from the Netherlands and America.
In addition, in the Meiji period, Japan's first brewery, "Japan Brewery", was established.
During the Meiji era, beer production began in Tokyo, Osaka, Hokkaido and other places, and at one time there were over 100 breweries, causing a boom in local and craft beer across Japan.

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