Home - theTokyoBill

A guy in Tokyo writing about Japan-related news, local craft beer venues & his tasty beer outings.

Welcome to theTokyoBill!

This is a blog of sorts -- a hobby slash passion project. It's an excuse for me to explore the Tokyo area and engage with the craft beer bars that locals and visitors may or may not know about.

Here, I write about some of the places that impress me, and I write about things in the news that catch my interest. I am not a news professional...you'll find on this site just a few short articles uploaded every day or so, and posted in podcast form as well...subject matter on whatever I happen to find interesting. Simple as.

So, if you are out and about in Tokyo, visiting a brewpub, and you see a devilishly handsome sort chatting with a lovely lady, just stop yourself. Look around for the single guy working on a laptop sipping a pint. Then, come and say hi! And ask... Are you TokyoBill? ;)

Cheers!

Recent Headlines in Japan...

The most recent stories that caught my eye. Do visit the News on Japan page for further articles!
FYI, any non-stock images are noted and linked to the source.

US rebuffs Japan’s tariff revision proposals

The United States has denied Japan's request for full exemption from a 10 percent tariff and a country-specific tariff in recent talks. U.S. officials, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, indicated that they would only negotiate a reduction in the current 14 percent tariff, depending on the progress of discussions. Japan seeks to eliminate these tariffs and impose tariffs on cars and steel, emphasizing its economic contributions. The U.S. has also placed a new 25 percent tariff on key auto parts while expressing interest in Japanese market access for U.S. goods. Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato clarified that Japan does not plan to use its U.S. Treasury holdings as leverage in negotiations.

Inoue wins by TKO, remains undefeated

Naoya Inoue stayed undefeated and kept his undisputed junior featherweight title by beating Ramon Cardenas Sunday night with an eighth-round technical knockout. Inoue, who has a record of 30-0, was knocked down in the second round but quickly regained control, dominating Cardenas with power and accuracy throughout the fight. He landed numerous punches, especially in the sixth and seventh rounds. Inoue is set to face Murodjon Akhmadaliev in September. In other fights, Rafael Espinoza defended his WBO featherweight title with a TKO over Edward Vazquez, Rohan Polanco won by unanimous decision against Fabian Maidana, and Emiliano Vargas scored a second-round TKO over Juan Leon.

Image via Wikipedia

Japan strengthens defense ties with India, Sri Lanka

Japan is increasing its defense cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region through recent meetings between Defense Minister Gen Nakatani and officials from India and Sri Lanka. In India, they agreed to enhance military collaboration, establish a senior officer-level dialogue, and improve joint exercises to counter Chinese influence.

In Sri Lanka, Nakatani and Deputy Defense Minister Aruna Jayasekara discussed boosting defense ties, and Sri Lankan forces were invited to participate in disaster-response exercises in Japan. As Japan imports crude oil along sea lanes in the area, and refuels Self-Defense Force vessels locally to combat piracy, Sri Lanka’s location is considered strategically important.

At 66th place, Japan improves its World Press Freedom Index ranking

Reporters Without Borders released its 2025 World Press Freedom Index, ranking Japan 66th out of 180 countries, behind South Korea and Ukraine. Japan improved four spots but remains last among G7 nations; the U.S. ranked 57th. The report criticized Japan's press club system for encouraging self-censorship and discrimination against freelancers and foreign journalists, along with political pressure and gender inequality affecting media. Conditions worsened in conflict zones, with Palestine at 163rd and around 200 journalists killed in Gaza. Iran, Syria, China, and North Korea ranked near the bottom. The report highlighted that media independence is increasingly threatened by economic pressures.

Dugong spotted in Okinawan waters

A dugong, a protected species at risk of extinction, was spotted near Kume Island in Okinawa for the first time since 2019. Harumi Kaji, a diving instructor who filmed the animal on April 29th, described the experience as incredible. The director of the Okinawa Prefectural Institute of Environmental Science confirmed the 2m-long animal is the same dugong captured and released earlier in Taiwan, based on its markings.

Dugongs, which feed on seagrass, haven’t been seen in the area for several years. The last known dugong in Okinawa was found dead in 2019, and the local government is now planning a survey to check for other dugongs around Kume Island.

Snake on a power line kills shinkansen services

Services on the Tokaido Shinkansen bullet train line between Tokyo and Osaka were interrupted on Wednesday due to a snake getting caught in the overhead wires, which caused a power outage. The issue happened around 5:25 p.m. and affected trains traveling towards both Tokyo and Osaka. Train services resumed around 7 p.m. after safety checks were completed.

Waiting passengers at Nagoya Station faced growing crowds and long lines at ticket machines. Power outages on bullet trains are unusual, and while passengers were relieved at operations returning to normal, some couldn't help but express frustration at the delay, in a country used to timely train service.

Are you new to craft beer?

If you drink beer advertised on TV, you might not be a craft beer sort of person. Not that I'm knocking your tastes, mind you, but beers you typically find around town are large-batch products made by large-scale producers. These products appeal to a broader customer base, have a lower price tag and are generally available year-round.

So what is a craft beer, anyway? Let me lift a description from the International Marketing Analysis Research and Consulting Group (IMARC):

"Craft beer refers to beer that is traditionally brewed by small, independent breweries, emphasizing quality, flavor, and brewing techniques. Craft beer is typically made in smaller batches, allowing brewers greater control over the brewing process and the opportunity for creativity and experimentation.

Craft beer is manufactured using traditional brewing methods, including mashing, boiling, fermenting, and conditioning, often with high-quality ingredients such as specialty malts, hops, yeast, and adjuncts like fruit, spices, or herbs. Its importance lies in its role as a cultural expression, offering consumers a diverse array of flavors and experiences while challenging conventional beer norms."

Another term you may come across is microbrewery, emphasizing the small-volume production capability of the craft beer maker when compared to the large-scale breweries, or macrobreweries. Ultimately you ought to drink what tastes good to you, though you'll find greater variety in flavor, aroma, mouthfeel, alcohol content et al amongst craft beers.

What are the beer basics?

Making Beer
More than just a beverage, beer is an intricate interplay of science and artistry. Let's take a look at the fundamental principles that underpin the brewing process, revealing the secrets behind this beloved drink.

Beer is the end product of only a few key ingredients, so let’s start there. As a simple breakdown, we need water, yeast, barley and hops. Water makes up the greatest part of beer, typically 95% by volume, so it’s an important component of beer, and good beer requires good water. A source of starch provides carbohydrates for the yeast to feed on. Yeast will convert simple sugars and water into ethanol and carbon dioxide. This is the basic form of fermentation that generates alcohol. Hops are added for their preservation and flavoring effect.

Let's start with barley, as that is the base substrate for beer, as the main source of starch. In reality, any source of sugar can be used, but for beer we really want to use a grain, and indeed many beers use wheat, sorghum, corn, or rice. Barley is the most common source of starch in beer-making, however, so I’ll stick to that for this article.

Malting
To “unlock” or make available energy available for yeast, the starch needs to go through a process called malting. By adding water to barley, the grains will begin to germinate, the beginning process of growing into a plant. Germination activates enzymes within, which will convert starch molecules – complex chains of the simple sugar glucose – into smaller chains and individual glucose molecules.

Now, we don’t actually want to grow a barley plant; we just want the starch to break down into smaller molecules that the yeast can use. The malting process will be halted by drying, after which the germinated barley – now called malt -- may be ground into a finer powder that we can easily pour and package. Different malting methods and the resulting malt characteristics (color, flavor, and aroma) significantly influence the final beer profile.

Mashing
The mashing process is where the magic begins. The malted barley, mixed with water, undergoes a series of controlled temperature steps. Enzymes within the malt operate within specific temperature ranges. Temperatures are carefully managed to activate the enzymes within the malt, converting the starches into fermentable sugars. This process is crucial as it directly affects the amount and type of sugars available to the yeast for fermentation.

Hopping
After the mashing process, the liquid mixture, which is called wort, is separated from the spent grain. The lauter tun, or similar vessel, facilitates this separation. The wort is then boiled, a crucial step for sterilization i.e. removal of bacterial interference, and flavor development. It is during this stage that hops are added. You’ve heard of hops, of course. This is a rather standard addition to beer though in centuries-past other herbs were commonplace.

To keep it simple, hops are a type of flower and are added to the wort to impart flavor and preservative effects. How exactly the old-time beer-makers thought to add hops is a long and interesting story but I want to keep this short. Other agents may be added at this stage, such as additional sugars or herbs, but hops is the big one. If you’re a fan of west coast USA IPAs, as I am, you’ll know that they make use of some very flavorful hops varieties to create strong, bitter beer profiles.

Fermentation
On to fermentation. Fermentation is where the yeast comes into play. Yeast is a single-celled fungus, and I’m sure you’re familiar with it: yeast is the microorganism that converts sugars into alcohol and carbon dioxide (CO2). It’s the release of gaseous CO2 that causes bubbles to form in bread, making it rise. As for alcohol, there are many compounds that qualify as an alcohol, and they are not all desirable, but it so happens that yeast produces ethanol, which is exactly the alcohol that gives us the good feelies when we drink it. (Well, to a point, anyway.)

Are there different yeasts, you ask? Well, yes. Some yeasts create products that tend to float at the top of the mashing container, others make products that sink or remain low in the mixture. Also, yeasts function optimally at different temperatures, so for some, effective fermentation takes place at 10 C whereas a different strain wouldn’t be active unless the temperature was raised to 20 C. The varying molecules produced give unique flavor profiles, influencing the beer's body, mouthfeel, and overall character. Lager yeast, for example, produces crisp, clean beers, while ale yeast often results in more complex, fruity, or spicy flavors.

Conditioning
And finally, following fermentation, the beer needs conditioning to allow the carbon dioxide to fully dissolve and for flavors to mature. This can involve aging in stainless steel tanks or wooden barrels over some weeks to months. Finally, the beer is packaged for distribution.

Please bear in mind this is a pretty basic summary of the process! Some of these steps may be repeated, and there might be several filtration steps involved. I haven’t gone into filtration methods, or the use of clarifying agents, or the vessel sizes and shapes used. Beer-making is a Big topic, and can get Pretty technical. Craft beer makers are truly to be respected for their artistry, so Do raise your glass when you meet them!

Care to help out?

I'm keen to visit more places and bring you more beer reviews. However, I'm only working part-time and on the lookout for more projects, and I could use a hand. This website is more of a loose hobby though I'd like to expand on it!

On the About/Contact/Merch page, you'll see samples and links to some online stores I've created. Print-on-demand T-shirts, sweaters, hoodies, coffee mugs. Also candles, vitamin supplements, iPhone cases and other merchandise...some of it related to beer!

Of course, I am open to straight-up donations via PayPal. Your help would Very much be appreciated!

And again, thanks So much for visiting my site, everyone -- hope you get to visit Japan sometime!