XI. Mitsuya Craft Cola
Location: Almost anywhere in Japan
Nature: Non-Alcoholic
Once again, a gem emerges from the house of Asahi. This Craft Cola is a marked and welcome departure from the traditional Cola based drinks almost everyone on this planet is accustomed of having. This cola beverage, though contains cola and that flavour forms the base of the drink, it still contains a significant amount of citrus flavour and some spices as well, which give the cola a tangy taste.No doubt the drink is quite refreshing, however I found it a tad too sweet. Nevertheless, this one is a must try drink when in Japan to experience a welcome departure from the usual cola based drinks.
XII. Kera Pirka Pale Ale
Location: Almost anywhere in Sapporo, Hokkaido
Nature: Alcoholic
This pale ale is from Asahikawa City in Hokkaido. Though I never went to Asahikawa, I would definitely recommend my readers to visit the city as well (and I will visit too in due course of time). Asahikawa is a beautiful city with lots to offer for travelers.
Coming to this ale, the notes of malt and hint of citrus fruity flavour are quite noticeable. I did find it a bit less on the smoother side though, however the taste is quite different from the normal pale ales I had tried before. It would have been best to try this at its place of origin – Asahikawa, but more of that on the next trip to Japan.
XIII. Kirin Ichiban Shibari Tohitsu – Zero
Location: Almost anywhere in Japan
Nature: Alcoholic
Ever since I tried Kirin Ichiban beer for the first time in Singapore way back in 2017, the same has been elusive from me. Kirin Ichiban, to me, is perhaps one of the finest beer in Japan with full rounded malt flavours and an equally smooth taste.
Now I never knew that beer can have zero carbs, but I think Kirin Ichiban pulled the feat off through its newly introduced zero carb beer. The taste is the same premium smooth taste of Kirin Ichiban with mild fruity flavours which is this brand’s claim to fame. The zero carb beer takes up the game by several notches ahead of the peers. Tastes like the same original Kirin premium beer sans the carbs. A must try for those who count the carbs in their diet on a daily basis.
XIV. Otaru Beer – Pilsner
Location: Otaru Beer & Brewery, Otaru, Hokkaido
Nature: Alcoholic
How could I leave Otaru without taking with me the remaining untasted variant – the Pilsner. This one from Otaru has mild notes of caramel flavours and slight floral aroma. What’s a bit off-putting for me is the bitterness – this appears quite bitter for a pilsner. But nevertheless, this is quite refreshing and the texture is quite smooth and not at all strong. A must try beer for those who are into Pilsners. However, for me, the best one from Otaru Breweries so far is the Dunkel variant.
A word of Caution
The recommendations for food and drinks don’t go without the warnings on allergens. Do check the ingredients and refrain from consuming the food or drink if some known allergen is present, which of course, varies from person to person.
Also alcoholic drinks should be had in moderation and never be consumed by minors. Also, please don’t drink and drive. And refrain from drinking in public places in Japan, it’s considered rude. Have your alcoholic drink at home, in hotel or in restaurants or bars.
Thank you for being patiently there supporting my content. I hope I have shown you some vegetarian options in this blog post and some unique local foods which should be tried for sure.
More content to come up soon. Appreciate your comments.
ありがとうございます / Arigatou Gozaimasu
© Abirbhav Mukherjee. All the pictures / videos posted in this article are my own unless otherwise mentioned.
A Quest for the Uncliche 
The post is great. How wonderful it is to explore the foods and drinks of other cultures. It makes one relax into the culture. Acceptance is great. When you enter the other regions, the reluctance works not. Moreover the idea of traveling is accepting what comes to you.
Beautiful exploring. Keep inspiring the solo travelers here 😉
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Thank you so much for your visit and your comment.. Really appreciate it.. ☺️
You hit the nail on its head.. Acceptance of local cultures is what makes traveling worthwhile and enjoyable.. Seeing the biggies is just a small part of traveling and not the entirety.. Cultural acceptance is what makes traveling complete.. 😊
Thoughts like these help us understand what we are missing on when we try to articulate and balance our excitement and experiences with words which can make some sense of the surreal.. Many thanks once again.. 😊
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Glad you enjoyed the visit. Enjoy! have a wonderful week !
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Although I’m not a beer drinker, I did have mouthfuls along the way in Japan so at least I’ve tasted most of the beers. 😉
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Oh wow..!! What all beers did you taste in Japan? Did you also try sake? Hope the experience was good..
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Very impressive sampling! Thank you so much for including the non-alcoholic choice. These are sometimes the most interesting. My daughter is lactose-intolerant, so good to know she might be able to try the milk.
Excellent article!
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Well, I found the Hokkaido milk to suit me despite my lactose intolerance.. but again, won’t recommend this for others as I don’t know their condition..
Indeed Hokkaido offers a plethora of non-alcoholic liquid elixirs.. 😊 glad you liked them and happier that you would consider trying them.. 😊
Thank you once again.. 😊
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I’ve had some odd drinks on my travels for sure. In Peru we had to buy drink crystals for our backpack. We bought some weird black coloured mix that tasted like liquorish and some unknown flavour. It was almost undrinkable, except we HAD to drink it because we were masking the flavour if iodine in our water. Thinking about it still makes me gag.
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That’s quite strange and interesting.. what was the neeed of those crystals? Was water scarce in that region? Hope to try it someday.. Thank you for sharing.. 🙂
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We needed water because we were trekking up to some major elevations, and it was SUPER hot, even for April (well, hot for Canadians coming off a cold winter). The water needed to be purified because there are COWS everywhere. We kept thinking we were getting too high for cows, but then would come around a corner an wham! More cows. We had a filter, but also needed to use iodine, which tastes awful! We needed the juice crystals to mask the awful taste of the iodine, but the weird crystals were almost worse. Almost 🙂
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Oh.. I get it now.. I can imagine the weird taste of iodine.. The only experience of elemental iodine I have is in chemistry lab for creating some spectacularly violet vapours and needle shaped prismatic crystals.. good old days
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That’s more than I know about iodine! I’ve only ever had to use it once, and I hope to never use it again. Yuck!
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Great informative post.. I think I would like to try the unprocessed milk and the cider!!
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Thank you so much.. 🙂
Sure, the milk and cider are great..
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It is incredible to see your wealth of knowledge about Japan beverage. They are a world of their own.
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Thank you very much for your appreciation.. 🙂
I am just a novice and I am learning as much as I can on different aspects of Japan.. Food and Beverages are the starting points..
Thank you once again.. 🙂
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