Left: Hitachino Nest Beer "Nipponia" 788 yen Middle: Kohan no Mori Beer "Itsumo Arigato Beer" 699 yen Right: Ise Kadoya Beer "Neko ni Hiki New England IPA" 864 yen

What does "Nipponia" mean on Kuramoto 's buttocks?
Kuratomo , together with local volunteers, revived Kaneko Golden, a type of malting barley that had disappeared in the 1950s. The result was "Nipponia," and Kaneko Golden was the first malting barley produced in Japan by a farmer named Ushigoro Kaneko.
Kuramoto's cat is cute too. "Neko ni Hiki New England IPA"...the name is also interesting.
Nikenchaya Mochi, which has its roots in a tea shop from the Sengoku period, launched a new initiative from Ise Kadoya Beer in 1997. This is a collaboration with Culmination Brewing, an up-and-coming brewery in Portland.

Kuramoto , why a cat?
At Kuratomo Brewery, it's common to keep cats to protect the malt used as a raw material from mice. In Europe and America, these are called brewery cats. And, as is often the case, the owners of both companies were cat lovers.
Kuramoto , could these be the cats?
Kuratomo : Yes. It's their pet cat (laughs).

—Just like your drinking style, your composure was impressive. And it seems your big, round eyes get even bigger when you have a beer in front of you (laughs).
Kuramoto is now a big beer lover, but at first, it was just a social thing. He had his eye on it one hot summer day, when he went to an ordinary izakaya (Japanese pub) with the staff after filming. The moment he poured it down his parched throat, he thought, "Wow, this is delicious!" Last year, to coincide with his annual family party where he invites relatives and friends, he finally leased a home beer server. The taste was incredible (distant look).


--It seems you couldn't put down your beer even when your favorite team, the Hiroshima Carp, won the championship.
We were positioned behind the backstop at Kuramoto Stadium, and I lost count of how many times we called over the vendors, drinking until the championship was decided, and then all restraint was completely gone. We went bar-hopping until morning, from a bar frequented by Carp fans to a friend's house, and then back out into the night, and there was always a beer mug in my right hand. I wondered what I was doing with my hazy head, since most of the alcohol didn't stay in my system (laughs).

--We got enough footage. The first episode ended with just beer (lol). [To be continued]

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View the list of "Japanese-made beers" at the Isetan online store.

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NEXT Women's Isetan Wanderings ② - Yasuko Kuramoto selects the perfect sake and polo for Father's Day: "Sake Edition"

Text: Kei Takegawa
Photo: Natsuko Okada

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