When in Rome...or Sakae!!!!

In our unending effort to help you find great beer in Japan, the Good Beer Country Boys have solicited the help of several of our friends around Aichi. Many of these folks are ‘experts’ on great places to procure excellent brew and enjoy some great atmosphere. Today’s recommendations are for those looking for some great places to go in Nagoya, submitted by our good buddy Nick Riley. Nick is himself a country boy down deep, hailing from Kansas by way of Hawaii. If you find yourself in Nagoya hankering for a good brew and some time to kill, check out Nick’s favorite places!!!!


Nick Says:

Since Heaven's Door closed, I've been rather fond of street drinking. (i.e. drinking store-bought beers on the street) Around town, there're a few places around town that offer quality beers around town (in no particular order except for number 1 around town):

1. Spirits

My personal favorite. I could probably follow those yellow, blind-people-lines to this place with a blindfold on. I've certainly done it with beer-goggles on enough. Quality, dangerous liquor. Quality beer. Quality cigars. Wonderful staff. This place has it all. They actually have 2 bars as well. One specializes in cigars, the other in beers. Both are in the same building as the liquor store on different floors. I've only walked into the cigar bar (never stayed), but it seemed like something out of Russ Meyer and Roger Ebert's Beyond the Valley of the Dolls. In other words, this guy would match the decor:



It's awesome. Strangely enough (if you know me), I haven't checked out the beer bar yet. On most nights I never make it past the cheap street beers on the 1st floor. I imagine the beer bar is equally well-done and medium-rare. Therefore, this post is part-explanation and part-invitation to check it out sometime. Come out of Sakae exit 8 and walk south towards Osu Kannon on Otsu-dori (towards all them big department stores, etc.). When you get to Gucci, take a right. It'll be on your left about a block and a half down. It's right past a Daily Yamazaki and across from a big 出会いcafe/whorehouse.


2. Yamaya

Grandmaster Wizard Canadian-先輩 Geoff Coleman enlightened me about this place recently. It's an import store near the Chunichi building in Sakae. Long rows of wine and booze. Oh, and big bottles of Heartland and gummy-pigs too. To get here, I have no specific directions. It's the building directly across the street to the north from Chunichi building in Sakae (on Hirokoji-dori on the other side of Central Park from the Ferris wheel). It's on the B2 level and can be accessed from Sakae station without ever going above ground, but I can't explain that in detail, so just go down to that level of that building and start saying 'Yamaya'.
[ DH interjects: Toyohashi has several Yamaya’s as well, and it happens to be one of my favorite places to shop. A ton of great drinks and food, especially a great Mexican collection! Yamaya has Sam Adam’s, JW Dundee’s, a vast selection of Belgian’s, and the cheapest bourbon around. Worth checking out for sure!!]


3. Belgian Beer

Anyone actually know the name of this place? Me neither. It's a small mom-and-pop store in north Sakae (figure out where I drink yet?) that happens to offer a wide range of high-alcohol Belgian beers. I have a one track mind, so I've never really looked at their other stock, but I want to say they have lots of champagne. Access by walking north along the left (west) side of Central Park from Sakae station. One (two?) blocks before the road with a highway running overhead, turn left. There's a small parking lot on the corner. Turn there. One more thing to mention about this place. They seem to have a clientele of weekday alcoholics who start early. The only time I've ever caught them open was after kencho meetings. I'm pretty sure they're closed weekends and close early on weekdays. Maybe they only open once a month for us... such a sweet old lady...


4. 成域 Seiiki ?

Just look for those kanji. This place is (gasp!) not in Sakae. This is between the Meitetsu Nagoya building and the main Nagoya station building. This is an import food store as well, but it offers a delicious selection of liver poison. My new favorite offering at this place is a beer called 青鬼 Ao-oni. It's an IPA made by the same brewers that make Yona-Yona and Tokyo Black, but I've never seen it anywhere but here. If you know another place to get it, please let me know. From the gold clocks, start following signs down that long hallway with the coin lockers to the Meitetsu line and eventually you'll find yourself walking outside between the buildings. On your right, between the buildings, you'll find the shop. Alternatively, you could exit the station by the clocks, veer right around the hershey kiss/Madonna nipple thing towards the intersection by the koban, take a right at that street, take your first right, and it'll be just past the Meitetsu building on your left. I also buy huge jugs of Filippo Berio extra virgin olive oil here.


5. Kanayama International Store

I have absolutely no idea what the name of this store is. However, they sell Anchor Brewing Company beer, so I know the location very well. It's in the Asunal shopping plaza on the north side of the station. Head out the North Exit, turn left, and you'll walk into the plaza. Here, you'll see a stage on your right. The store will be on your left in front of the stage.
[www.asunal.jp/08accsess.html]




So there you go. Ignore the copious commas and kakko. Five places to buy cheap beer in town, five nights in the workweek. Coincidence? I think not.

We thank you Nick for enlightening us on some great places in Nagoya (Sakae)! Cheers!