Horyuzan Bakushu began operations in April 2023. The biggest feature of the brewpub is that it is
run by a temple, Saiko-ji, located in the same area. In general Buddhism it is forbidden to drink
alcohol, but not in Japan. To be precise, it seems that different sects have different disciplines.
Anyway, I’m not sure if it’s OK for temples to make alcoholic drinks…but maybe it’s OK since they
do.
They call themselves “Ji-Beer”. It is a pun, they use the Kanji character “temple” for “Ji”, and the craft
beer in Japan used to be called “Ji-Beer”. (For the latter, the character used for “Ji” is “local”).
They also call their beer “Japanese Trappist Beer”. I’m pretty sceptical that this is the same thing
as Belgian Trappist… but anyway, they seem to like these puns and jokes.
The place is located near Keikyu-Kurihama station and it is a three minute walk. The place is quite
small and has two tables inside and two more outside. It’s a standing bar, so you have to stand if you
want to drink beer on the spot , as you can see in the photo.
When I went there they had five beers on tap, four regular beers and one seasonal beer. Their regular
beers are called Yui, Ga, Doku and Son. These are taken from the Buddhist word ‘Yui-ga-doku-
son’ (唯我独尊 — meaning ‘In heaven and on earth I alone am honored’). They serve beer in two ways: by the glass and in bottles. I think the bottle is for take-out, but I did not check the details. The glass is probably 250ml and the bottle is probably 330ml for ¥500 and ¥700 yen respectively. In these days when the price of beer is rising, I think they are offering beer at a fairly low price. However, when I visited, the staff had trouble adjusting the gas pressure, resulting in a lot of head, and there was probably only about 180ml of beer in the glass. (In fact, the customer before me complained mildly about this). They also have a beer flight of three beers for ¥1200 yen. There are only snacks such as chips and canned goods, so you can bring your own food. It is located on a local shopping street, so there is a variety of food options. Their regular beers are pretty straightforward. Taste good, but no strong character. In that sense, I should have tried the seasonal beer. Maybe next time!
The shop is located near the sea, it’s good to take a walk there and then have a glass or two in this shop, it could be very relaxing. There is no cover charge and they don’t have Wi-Fi.
Japanese breweries on tap:
Horyuzan
Opening Hours:
Daily, 12:00-20:00
But maybe closed on Thursday
Location/map:
久里浜 4-14-1, Yokosuka, Kanagawa-ken
Telephone:
046-827-7861