Japanese beer had its start during the Edo Period when the Dutch opened beer halls for the sailors who worked on the trade route between Japan and the Dutch Empire. Japanese-style commercial brewing has been exported to much of Southeast Asia and factories are spread throughout the world.
Beer is the most popular alcoholic beverage in Japan, accounting for nearly two thirds of the 9 billion liters of alcohol consumed in 2006. Major brewers include Asahi, Kirin, and Sapporo, while small local breweries supply distinct tasting beers. Lager beers are most common, but beers made with lower grain contents called Happoushu (low malt beer, sparkling alcoholic drink) have captured a large part of the market due to lower taxes.
Japan has liberal laws in regards with the selling and consumption of alcohol. Beer can be purchased at a wide variety of outlets, including supermarkets, convenience stores, kiosks at train stations, and in vending machines. Some vending machines have motion activated advertising that play beer commercials and jingles on small TV screens embedded into them. (Full article...)