*A quick warning here. I haven’t been to Big Love in ages and yesterday heard that you can only drink there if you buy something in the shop, so I suspect they are moving away from being a beer place and focusing on the record shop part. Which makes sense… as it is a record shop*
A bit of a different post today. Big Love Records is a record shop in Harajuku. The reason it has made it on to this blog is that it also happens to have three taps of Shiga Kogen. The record shop itself specialises in imports of alternative music. There was plenty of stuff that was interesting to me, but given that this is a beer blog, I’ll stick with talking about the beer. The shop itself is quite compact and there is a similar sized bar area. There’s probably seating for around ten people at a small counter and a few tables. Given that you are in a good record shop, the music they play is interesting too. The first time I went here was for record shopping, and I was amazed and delighted to see that they had Shiga Kogen on tap, so had to return at a later date and have a drink.
The beers on tap when I last visited were the Shiga Kogen Pale Ale, IPA and Saison 8. A pretty decent selection. I suspect that they rotate as the beers were written on a blackboard, and their website shows photos of other beers. Next time I go in, I’ll check and update here. Serving size is in the US pint area. Not sure exactly, but it is definitely a decent size serving. They also have their own snazzy branded glassware. All beers were ¥780 which is a pretty good price if you ask me. Along with the three taps, they also serve soft drinks and some bar snacks. Looking at the website it seems that they also do a Big Love Beer Ticket for ¥7800, which gets you 11 beers, making it even cheaper. I think I might have to buy one of these next time.
So, not much else to say. As it is a record shop, it is open during the daytime, which is a real rarity in Tokyo. It is a very nice place to have a beer or two to escape from the Harajuku hustle and bustle, and maybe even buy a record or two. Good prices and good beer in a good location. Can’t ask for much else. Have no idea how busy it gets in the evenings, but I was the only person there around 6pm on a Friday. I will drink here as often as I can, because I am definitely up for supporting a place that sells good beer and records!
Japanese breweries on tap when I visited:
Shiga Kogen
Opening Hours:
Monday, 13.00-20.00
Tuesday – Saturday, 13.00-22.00
Sunday, 13.00-21.00
Location/map
3F-A, 神宮前2-31-3, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Directions:
Hmmm, maybe a bit tricky, but the map shows the correct location. Will give it a go anyway. From Meijijingumae metro station go out exit 5. Turn back on yourself and walk to the big junction (it will have been directly behind you as you were walking up the steps to leave the station. At this junction turn left down the main road. Carry on down here for about 500m until you get to another big junction (the landmark is the footbridges I guess), where the road branches off to the right. Take this right turn and then about 50m afterwards take the first left. Walk down this road and you will see a post office on the right hand side. Take the second left after the post office (there is a small playground at the turning). Big Love is on the third floor just after a couple of vintage americana type shops. The picture above is of the steps you need to go up.
Telephone:
03-5775-1315