Beer or as it is pronounced BI-RU is Japan's most popular alcoholic beverage. It is can be drank just about everywhere, and in fact is can even be purchased in vending machines on the pavement which is a strange sight for someone from the west.

Beer is sold everywhere, if you can buy soft drink, you can usually buy beer and you can also drink it anywhere, on the street, on the train, waiting for a bus- there is no problem. One interesting note is that beer is relatively the same price at most places, whether you buy it at a convenience store or at a pub or cafe.

Japan has 3 major beer brands, Asahi, Sapporo and Kirin plus a large range of specialty beers. The major international beers like Heineken, Stella Artois, Fosters and San Miguel are also available in packaged form.

People outside Japan might be accustom to the 3 major Japanese beer brands but each of the brands have several products in their range and are all served in various size cans from the 150ml to a litre, several bottle sizes and of course everyone's favourite draught fresh from the tap.

For the beer lover, many of the major breweries offer tours where you can learn and see some of the high tech processes used to produce this tasty drink. Many run tours in English and also have a tasting session at the end of the tour.

Also take note of the cheaper varieties of beer you will find in Japanese supermarkets that are known as Happoshu Beer, they have a low malt content to get under Japanese tax rules. While they taste like beer, a beer lover may not enjoy them as much as the traditional product, although they will enjoy the price.