Watering Hole

Watering Hole opened near Yoyogi Park in 2012, making it one of Tokyo's earliest dedicated craft beer bars. It is run by homebrewing legend Ichiri Fujiura, the first non-American to be named Homebrewer of the Year by the American Homebrewers Association, together with his partner Michiko Tsutsui, and that pedigree shows in how the list is put together.

Around 20 taps are chalked up by hand on a board that changes constantly. The split is roughly even between Japanese craft and imports, across IPAs and hazy double IPAs, stouts, sours, strong ales and ciders. The bar has long had close ties with American breweries, and its own blog has documented tap takeovers from the likes of California's Modern Times and South Carolina's Westbrook, with a single Modern Times event filling 16 lines. Japanese brewers such as Matsumoto Brewery, Shiga Kogen and Y.Market have featured alongside them. English-speaking staff make visitors welcome and are happy to talk through the board.

The kitchen takes an American bent, with daily specials that have run from shrimp and grits and meatballs to San Diego-style fish burritos, and themed food days alongside the beer events. The buttermilk fried chicken is the dish regulars point to.

It is on Meiji Street behind the NTT Docomo building in Sendagaya, five minutes from JR Yoyogi's east exit. The bar opens in the mid-afternoon, and coming on a weekday between 3pm and 6pm gets you any four 100ml pours for ¥1,000, an easy way to work through the list. It has traditionally been closed on Sundays, so check the bar's site or social pages before a weekend visit. It suits serious beer drinkers, homebrewers and anyone who wants a knowledgeable introduction to what is pouring in Tokyo.