Bakushuku Den

Bakushuku Den in Mitsuhama, a port town in Matsuyama, is a spot where a craft brewery and a guesthouse are combined.

Exactly. The owner, Tadasu Kiwada, is from Hiroshima and used to work at a guesthouse in Australia. There he decided he wanted to create a place where people from all over the world could share fun moments.

He trained at Iwami Beer in Shimane and at breweries in Hiroshima and Matsuyama. He uses Iwami-style brewing equipment, and each batch is just 150 to 170 liters, an ultra-microbatch. That's what gives it flexibility and produces beers you won't find anywhere else.

The first floor is a bar and brewery with seven craft beers available at all times, and the second floor is a guesthouse with four rooms. There are Japanese-style rooms too. He found the property through the Mitsuhama vacant-house bank, fell in love at first sight, and renovated it with help from local residents.

Mitsuhama is an old port town that still has a retro shopping street and a unique food culture, but it's also an area where vacant houses had been increasing. Tadasu jumped in there and created a place where travelers and locals could meet through beer and lodging.

The concept is 'a space where people can laugh together through beer, and a space where people can connect with Mitsuhama residents through lodging.' At the counter, local regulars and travelers sit side by side, and conversation starts with a single beer. That's the kind of atmosphere the place has.