The Great Japan Beer Festival (GJBF) is an annual festival that has been organized by the JCBA since 1998. The festival, founded by Mr Ryouji Oda, is held in three venues around Honshu (Japan’s main island) over three separate weekends in the cities of Tokyo (June), Osaka (July) and Yokohama (September). In its first year the festival only attracted 800 visitors, but the increasing appreciation and demand for craft beer over the past decade has seen its attendance grow rapidly from year to year with over 20,000 people attending in 2010. We are expecting this growth to continue over the coming years as even more Japanese develop a taste for craft beer.

At the GJBF importers, distributors and members of the general public have the opportunity to sample some of the best products available on the Japanese market. In 2010 over 50 local and 30 international breweries were represented with in excess of 270 beers available for sampling. The festival is the biggest of its kind in the country and provides an unparalleled platform for brewers and importers to showcase their products to the beer loving public of Japan.

Since 2009 the JCBA has also been running the annual "Grande Biere" event. This festival is held in the sophisticated environment of Tokyo Midtown Hall (Roppongi) in the heart of the city and entrance is limited to only 1,800 visitors per session. On offer is a selection of over 60 premium local and international beers.

This year’s event will be held on 22-24th April with tickets costing 4,200 Yen in advance, and 4,600 Yen on the door (2,900 Yen & 3,300 Yen respectively for the Friday session). Session times:

22nd Apr 18:00-20:15 (Fri)
23rd Apr. 13:00-17:00 (Sat)
24th Apr. 11:30-15:30 (Sun)