Shinjuku is, in many ways, the center of Japan. It's the seat of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, home to the busiest train station in the world and has been immortalized countless times in film and literature. For many first-timers, a night in this frenetic Tokyo neighborhood means retracing Bill Murray's steps in "Lost in Translation" to drink at the Park Hyatt or exploring gritty microbars in the Golden Gai entertainment district. But in recent years options have expanded: drinking establishments are catering to a newer breed of drinker.
"The number of restaurants and bars that offer craft beer has increased so much," says Hiroyuki Fujiwara, founder of the Japan Beer Journalists Association.
Inside the association's Shinjuku offices, Fujiwara explains that he founded the JBJA in 2010 to educate people about the growing craft beer industry. The JBJA also operates the Beer Journalist Academy, a workshop that trains people to write about beer. As Fujiwara sees it, there's still a lot of work to be done.
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