Kunisawa Beer

Kunisawa Beer in Shimbashi has an amazing origin story. The representative, Ryosuke Kunisawa, was a backpacker in his twenties who came across homebrewing while traveling through North and South America, and from then on he wanted to make beer all along.

No, it took 30 years. He took over his father’s printing company, Kawachiya, and grew it from a business that started with type metal casting into a comprehensive special-printing company. But when the printing industry became tough during the pandemic as paperless adoption accelerated, he finally put into action the dream he had been nurturing for 30 years.

And on top of that, the brewing advisor is Kenji Sakamoto, the former vice president of Kirin Brewery America. They brought in an international brewing professional, and the flagship beer, "Shimbashi Classic Lager," is made with 100% malt, Czech hops, and brewed in horizontal storage tanks. Those horizontal tanks are equipment that only a tiny handful of breweries in Japan have.

It’s well suited for long lager aging, and it gives the beer a smoother finish. It feels like they’re pouring the craftsmanship honed in printing into beer. In fact, they’ve won awards at Great Beer Awards 2024 and the International Beer Cup 2023, so their quality is well established.

There’s "Shimbashi IPA," "Kabosu Sweet," and "Shimbashi Classic Gose." They also release seasonal beers like the "Shiranui & Carrot Sour Ale," a bold one that combines the sweetness of dekopon with carrots. They’ve also reopened, so their momentum is only growing.

Yes, he does. He runs the stationery brand "KUNISAWA" in more than 20 countries worldwide. Printing, stationery, beer. Everything follows the same line: a love for things made by hand. The shop is called "Arts & Crafts Kawachiya," and its concept is inspired by William Morris’s Arts and Crafts movement. It’s pretty striking that a space like that exists in Shimbashi’s salaryman district.