Stop number four on my Chuo line pub crawl and there was something of a feeling that I was building towards the highlight of the day. I’m pleased to say that Sakamichi didn’t let me down and was a really nice place to have some really nice beers. I’m getting old and I’m perpetually skint, so my pub crawls don’t quite have the length they used to. I was working on the plan that I’d have one beer in each place but in Sakamichi the combination of satisfaction over finishing my crawl and delicious beers, complimented by a little bit of unexpected cash jingling in my pocket due to buying nothing in the record shops I visited, all meant that I had three beers before I called it a night. There were more I wanted to try, but I was getting quite hungry, and the excesses of walking around a bit in the hot Japnese summer made me return home, but with a desire to come back again soon. Here’s what you need to know:
- About five minutes walk from Tachikawa station and the first Brewpub of the day where I could actually see the brewery. Sakamichi has plenty of wood with a counter where you buy your beers and pay as you go, but where you can also stand and drink if you want. In addition there’s a nice little counter facing out the front window where I parked myself for some people watching, and seating for maybe 10-15 more at a few tables.
- 12 taps of beer, half of which are Sakamichi beers and the rest are a mix of Japanese guests and US imports. As far as I could see, all the beers are the same price (¥880) and are served in one size, 400ml. Please someone correct me if that’s not the case for the guest beers. (Please see the comments below for a price explanation from the brewer himself!). Very good value! Very, very good value actually! They also have a fridge full of guest beers in cans that are for takeaway only as far as I know.
- No cover charge, lots of daytime opening every day. Closes a little earlier than some other places, but that’s not a problem for an old git like me. They don’t serve food, (apart from nuts), but I believe it’s ok for you to take your own food and eat there. If I’d know that before, I probably would have got a sandwich and then could have stayed for another beer. Oh and they have WiFi too. What’s not to like?
This was a really nice end to my crawl and was the one place I am sure I will be returning to. The prices are really good, but good prices are nothing without good beers and I’m pleased to say I liked the beers as much as I liked the prices. Also, I’m a big fan of the 400ml serving size. So all very positive here. You should definitely go.
Japanese breweries on tap when I visited:
Sakamichi
Open Air
AJB
Shirosuzume
Opening Hours:
Monday-Thursday, 12:00-21:00
Friday-Sunday, 12:00-22:00
Location/map:
柴崎町 2-6-5 青木ビルディング 103, Tachikawa-shi, Tokyo
Telephone:
None
Thanks for coming out to visit us! I know we’re a bit out of the way but I was hoping you’d be able to make the trek eventually.
Beers are almost always ￥880 for the 400 ml size, but we occasionally have pricier beers on tap for ￥1,000 or ￥1,100 for the 400ml, and in the case of some high ABV beers we do a half size of 200ml for ￥550. We wanted to keep everything at 880 for 400ml but rising prices across the board have made that difficult, and there’s so much good beer being made that we want to serve (and drink!).
You can bring food in and there’s a nearby 7-11 as well as an Origin Kitchen on the corner near our place. We are happy to give recommendations to some of the other excellent restaurants in the area as well.
Thanks again for stopping by. I’ve used your blog to find new places for a long time, so it’s exciting to show up in it! Keep up the good work!