“Be pirates. Be playful.” That’s the motto of Yellow Monkey Brewing (YMB), one of Yokohama’s newest craft beer breweries. The phrase is unusual, but it makes more sense once you interact with the three people responsible for the business: Hiroki Komada (Founder & CEO), Kengo Saito (Head Brewer), and Hirono Saito (Head of Sales, no relation to Kengo). “Be pirates” refers to resisting societal norms and refraining from mindless conformity. “Be playful” means being less serious, trying different things, and enjoying life with a genuine smile. YMB is their space for enabling that–and yours, too, they hope. Komada previously worked…
Author: Brian Kowalczyk
Yokohama gained sudden recognition as a treaty port in 1859. Before that it was Japan’s premier harbor for overseas trade. Its cosmopolitan milieu was due to large Western and Chinese populations, each contributing to a rich mixture of cuisine and culture. Foreigners thronged the town, and the abrupt end of feudalism meant that ambitious young Japanese could leave the remote countryside and make their fortunes in a new town, eventually transforming Japan as well. This colorful history inspired Steadfast, a book that traces the intertwined paths of the city and an international school, Saint Maur, on top of a steep…
The K2 International group we featured last issue runs “Okonomiyaki Columbus”, a local favorite okonomiyaki restaurant which celebrates its 33rd anniversary this year. The restaurant features chic ambience while exhibiting and selling artwork created by an ink painter and an older brother of the owner, Ichigai Kanamori. What attracts people to this restaurant is its wide variety of menu items and its reasonable prices. You can choose different okonomiyaki ingredients depending on your mood. The menu includes “Osaka pork modern” (¥1100), filled with noodles, and “Camembert mentai monjya” (¥2750), a popular dish stuffed with a camembert cheese block. If you…
During this difficult pandemic, exploring close to home has perhaps never been a more appealing option. Misaki Port, in the city of Miura, offers a plethora of excellent seafood combined with a chance to get out and stretch your legs strolling its scenic coastline. Take the Keikyu Line all the way to its terminus at Misakiguchi Station (around an hour from Yokohama Station by frequently running express trains). From there you can continue on to the port by bus or give your legs a workout by cycling. Rental bikes are available at Misakiguchi Station with advanced reservation (visit miuracycle.com). The…
As a foreigner living in Japan, long have I had to watch in envy as friends visiting from abroad thoroughly enjoyed zipping around the country on the all-you-can-ride JR Rail Pass. For just under ¥30,000 they would spend the week traveling the length of the country while I sadly followed on social media from the confines of my apartment. My fellow resident aliens surely can relate to the disappointment of being left out. Finally, in a move to stimulate the battered economy, in the fall of 2020 JR welcomed us to the club, albeit temporarily. From mid-October through February of…