Blue Magic

Utsunomiya is strongly associated with gyoza, but craft beer is actually interesting here too. There’s a brewpub called "Blue Magic" about five minutes on foot from Tobu-Utsunomiya Station.

Exactly. You can see the brewing tanks inside, and drink while looking at them from the counter. It’s run by Utsunomiya Brewery Co., Ltd., and it started as a spin-off from Tochigi Microbrewery.

The brewer and manager, Shinji Nakao, is interesting too. His motto is to craft beer by sharpening all five senses, and the beer names are really unique, like "Mozaiku S-IPA" and "THE TOMATO."

They use a lot of local Tochigi produce. From fruit beers and vegetable beers to herb and spice beers, everything here is something you can only drink at this brewery. There’s also a series called "Hikawa no Mori," with four expressions: Shuu, Hana, Ren, and Sui.

There are always 10 taps, with their own beers plus selections from other breweries in Tochigi Prefecture. In terms of a place where you can get a broad view of Tochigi craft beer all at once, you could even call it the only craft beer bar in the prefecture.

Exactly. That’s the golden combo of Utsunomiya: gyoza and craft beer. They’re open from 3 p.m. on weekdays and from noon on Saturdays, so you can even do daytime drinking while sightseeing.