S-PLTT Fujispark

Today, let’s start with the brewery at S-PLTT Fujispark in Fuji City. This place is incredibly unique: it was formerly a Tokai University campus site, and now it houses both one of Japan’s largest table tennis facilities and a craft beer brewery.

It’s operated by the Tokinoyu Group from Gotemba, and the brewery head, Koichi Tomikawa, is amazing. He’s a veteran who spent more than 20 years making beer at Gotemba Kogen Beer, and he joined this new brewery when it launched in 2019.

Exactly. Their flagship is an India Pale Lager called "Fugaku Beer." The name comes from Osamu Dazai’s "Fugaku Hyakkei," and apparently it was named by the chairman of Tokinoyu.

The brewing water comes from Mount Fuji’s snowmelt, using groundwater drawn from over 100 meters underground. The malt is a blend of German, British, and Australian malts, and the hops are from the UK and Germany. As for the taste, it has a strong hop aroma and bitterness, but it goes down surprisingly light.

Another one to watch is "rAven RED." It’s a Munich-style Dunkel, finished in a reddish-brown color with special malt. It brings together rich body, malt sweetness, and a firm bitterness, and it won a gold medal at the Japan Great Beer Awards 2022.

They also offer something beyond beer, like "Fugaku Yumedan," a matcha highball made with tea from Fuji City and Fujinomiya City. It really feels like they turned the old university site into a full-on paradise for sports and beer.