Japan Hops Trading -

I want to build an exchange network of hops growers in Japan. Living plants are difficult and expensive to import. I want to learn what varieties are already growing in Japan. I have recently been given 2 full plants in 50 liter pots. I can trade some rhizomes with other hops gardeners in Japan. I have Magnum and Centennial varieties now.

If you are growing hops or would like to grow hop in Japan, please post below. Maybe give an idea of roughly where you live and what you grow or would like to grow. It would be good to learn which hops grow well in which prefectures. I live in Kanagawa prefecture, in Oppama. I just got the plants from a friend in Tokyo. He grew them on his apartment balcony for a few years, and they were healthy.

My Japanese is not very good yet but I will read and respond to either English or Japanese.

 

Konnichiwa! I'm just getting back into brewing after almost 15 years. Another of my hobbies is gardening. I'd be very interested to know what you find out regarding growing hops in Japan as I'm living just down the road from you (kind of). Next spring I'm going to spend some serious time on this subject. Hope your brews are going well.

 

If you are in Shizouka you are probably going to be able to visit the Baird brewery sometime! I believe they have a hopyard somewhere as well, and they are friendly to homebrewers so perhaps they might be able to sell off some trimmings? I'd like to make a trip out there to Numazu sometime this winter. There is a chart floating around the internet that someone put together for gardening with hops. It has a bunch of varieties listed with pros/cons (disease/pest resistance, climate, yield, etc) that are definitely useful for deciding what to plant (and where to plant it) I'd like to eventually understand that from a Japanese perspective as the 3 growing zones here are not quite the same as growing zones in North America. Different climates, different pests, etc.. I will keep info up here for anyone as I learn it for sure!

 

Yeah, I'm actually only a 7 minute bicycle ride from Baird. In fact, I just got back from there tonight.

Let me know what you find out with hops. There are several things I can imagine are problems in this area but the main one is the temperature. Kanagawa gets almost the same weather as Numazu and it is hot hot hot in the summer. I do a lot of organic gardening here and it is a real struggle. Powdery mildew is a real concern in this area (among other things).
Anyway, the best seasonal Japanese marco brew was realized this week. It's called Ebisu Kohaku （ヱビス琥珀）Delicious amber ale. We are having a party here tomorrow to celebrate its release. Have a good one!

 

Just noticed this thread.

I have a relative living in Fujisawa who enjoys gardening and grows "Goya" bitter melons, tomatoes, tangerines, daikon, potatoes and all sorts of stuff in her front yard. The front yard gets a lot of good sunshine so it should be perfect for growing hops. I'm pretty sure I can convince her to add hops to her list of products too.

However, just as Brad said, the hot and humid climate over here could make things really difficult.

 

If you end up wanting to order hops, we just started shipping our hops free internationally, including Japan. We have over 20 varieties. Check us out and let us know if you have any questions. $5 off with coupon code 5offhops.

www.bruhahops.com

 

In trying to get Nelson sauvin hops to friends in Tokyo
Dou suru?
I was going to ship from NZ unless there are better ideas?

 

Yakimavalleyhops.com and
Nikobrew

Both have fairly reasonable prices and cheap shipping to Japan. Yakima is cheaper, whereas Nikobrew seems to have more of the exotic hops, like NZ strains. 3.5 pounds mix/match for ＄17-18 shipping.

As for rhizomes, the advanced brewing mailing list may be of help when spring rolls around. I was able to get rhizomes for cascade, centennial, and sterling this year from a homebrewing group (not advanced brewing) for shipping costs. Ordering from abroad is an option, but there are customs costs for rhizomes.

I don't know if/how many rhizomes I'll get from my crowns in the spring, but I'd trade for any varieties I don't already have. Shipping is so amazingly cheap here!

 

Live plants? Not sure as there will be different rules for different countries probably. Last I checked is that Japan requires an official plant health inspection document from the shipping country's government agency that does that kind of thing.

You could "mail" a rhizome to your friend but that likely would be breaking the rules. If it gets noticed by customs they will likely destroy it and may check in on anything sent to your friend after that. Agricultural products are tough like that, as a pest could be transported and do insane amounts of damage to a new environ. If you do go that way (and I am not recommending it) at the very least you should "bare-root" the plant, which means washing off ALL the dirt, and if possible do a dilute hydrogen peroxide wash to sanitize even more. You can get plant health certificates from government agencies, if is possible where you are that is the legal way to do it but the cost may be prohibitive for personal amounts (but it could be free from your government, I don't know). I had a plant that was in my family for over 100 years that had no history of disease, bare-rooted and treated a small section and labelled it a "snackfood" on the customs document. It made it through and I kept it quarantined for a few months here. I have education in agriculture and environmental legislation and understood that it was a big no-no but mailed the plant to myself under that knowledge and after taking steps to ensure it was clean and no risk to the receiving country.

I have no other experience shipping or ordering live plants across national boundaries but some of the hops companies have the experience necessary to do it legally so it is best to discuss with them to find the costs before you think of anything else. It will likely be faster and cheaper to buy and ship directly from hop rhizome distributors to your friend.

 

Yes, if you order rhizomes, get them from a company experienced in shipping them internationally. That said, I don't think it's that difficult, just some extra charges for customs.

Btw, if you are looking for Nelson sauvin or many of the newer strains, rhizomes will be almost impossible to get because they are still protected.

 

Yeah, I'm a big fan of yakimavalleyhops.com. Domestically(in the US), you can't beat their prices and their varieties change a lot.

Not to hijack this thread, but I'm in Korea now and will be in Tokyo the first week of January for winter vacation. Planning on bring a few+ pounds to give out as promotion for my online shop. Would love to meet up with any homebrewers in the area. Also, any tips on hostels, bars/pubs, food stuff, fun stuff? my email is [email protected]

Looking forward to the experience. Just tried the Coedo Beniaka (Sweet Potato) and liked it.

 

I would love to show you around, but I live far from Tokyo, and far from anything craft beer. Baird Beer and the Yokohama Seasider Magazine both have frequent events and might be a nice place to start looking. In addition to breweries, sake and umeshu (plum wine) events might be nice.

 

I'm not in Tokyo either, but I live just down the road from the headquarters of Baird Beer Fishmarket Taproom and Brewery. If you make it down this way (Numazu city) I can introduce you to some of the guys around there. Have fun in Japan!

 

Thanks guys. Baird looks awesome. If I can't make it down south, I'll definitely be hitting up one of the taprooms. Yokohama looks interesting too. Would love to check out King Pelican.

Thanks for the info. Very helpful. I'm getting excited for this trip. PM your addresses and I'll send you each a couple oz. of our hops on the house.

 

Just got the samples you sent a few minutes ago, thanks! Looking forward to trying them out!

 

Awesome! My pleasure!

 

Yeah, thanks for the samples! They smell great!

 

Awesome guys. I'll plan on bringing some more when I visit next month. Hopefully some of us can meet up for a beer!

 

I am interested in purchasing rhizomes, sending to Okinawa....anyone have a contact? Or Sources?

 

The only sources I know of inside the country are person to person trading, and even then it seems pretty slim as this thread has got little discussion so far on domestic rhizomes. As stated in earlier posts if you are trying to send from overseas somewhere then the best bet would be to call up a few rhizome distributors and see if they can do the paperwork required for international orders.

This makes me wonder, do international customs plant inspections/regulations apply to USA APO addresses if shipped from a mainland US address? Would a plant rhizome only require documentation if it crosses from a military compound into Japanese territory? I don't have the answer for that question and I don't have any contacts in US military to ask.

*Edit-* I posted the question to the Okinwawa brewing enthusiasts group on Facebook and got the response that customs regulations do apply. That means whether you send to a US military address or a Japanese address on Okinawa you will need to have the plant health certification done. A distributor that says they ship international will most likely know best what to do.

 

Hi. I've never used this company but I remember reading in a thread somewhere that they ship rhizomes internationally. I think you have to contact them directly to get quotes on prices but I seem to remember that it costs something like 25$ for the paper work to get them shipped here.
http://www.freshops.com/

 

Got my sample from Bruhahops today. Wonderful smelling UK Challenger. I've got a recipe these will work in too! Going to have to bump up my brew schedule I think

 

Thanks for the lead Brad! I just sent them a message asking if they can confirm the ability to ship here. If they say yes I think anyone interested needs to hurry and get orders in, I have read elsewhere that you need to order rhizomes well in advance, early spring is when distributors ship and by then its too late to order.

 

Considering the customs fees, a group buy might be a good idea. Domestic shipping once it hits Japan is quite cheap.

 

Just got a reply. Its yes and 30 USD for the fee, 15 rhizome minimum order though so that makes the group buy sound good. Also they say check back in March so I guess we dont need to rush.
Cheers!

 

Hey guys, just an update. I'm going to be in the Tokyo area from Dec. 30th - Jan. 5th. My girlfriend and I are trying to book places through airbnb, and are having some success, but I just wanted to see if you guys happen to know of any gems of hotels or hostels accessible to Central Tokyo. We might stay with a guy in Ota (near Rokugodote Station on the Keikyu Main Line.) Does anyone know about how much a train would cost from Ota to Shinagawa? About how long it would take? Or how late the trains run?

 

You may or may not be into this, but a love hotel is a truly Japanese experience. Very cheap to stay overnight, although you can also pay by the hour. They are scattered everywhere, so a taxi driver will be able to take you with just those two words, "love hotel". They're not as raunchy as they sound. They may actually have better accommodations than a lot of other places, and in my experience the cost averages only 6000-7000 per night. And you'll probably find vacancy pretty easily. Some of them are even automated so you don't have to feel strange talking to a desk clerk or something.

 

Many of them also have great views (of the a river, mountain, or similar).

 

Just mentioning in the thread here so I dont forget later: I will send a cutting each of the Magnum and Centennial rhizomes I have to Okinawa in the spring. Theres a fairly big group down there so after a season I am sure they will have split off more and we (homebrewers in japan) will have a bigger base of rhizomes to share (of the 2 types I have so far) . Cheers!

If you are still looking for a hotel; near Kanda station I stayed at Comfort Inn. It was cheapish and clean and walking distance to Devilcraft. One station from Tokyo as well.

 

From Rokugodote to Shinagawa takes ~15 minutes if you transfer at Keikyu Kamata station to an express train. If you want to stay on one train the whole time, it takes 23-28 minutes, depending on the time of day. It costs ¥220.

Your last trains:
Rokugodote to Shinagawa: 23:58
Shinagawa to Rokugodote: 00:06

+1. Love hotels are great. Like WhoZiT says, many of them have better accommodations than a regular hotel. The only thing is, you're not going to have a concierge, and they're one night only, so you can't check your bags.

What are you looking to do, and where are you primarily going to be? I don't know what your budget is, but the Excel Hotel (http://www.tokyuhotelsjapan.com/en/TE/TE_SHIBU/index.html) in Shibuya has been a great spot for acquaintances that have visited. It's in a real central location, and unless you're out partying in the "sticks," you don't have to worry about last trains, as you'll either be walking distance of the hotel, or a short, cheap cab ride.

PM me if you have any specific questions.

 

I got some root hormone yesterday, everything is still dormant but my ume tree is starting to grow flower buds. Has anyone done cuttings in Japan before? I would like to know when is the best time to do so, I can follow American guidelines but I don't really know what growing zone we would correspond to in Kanagawa.
Cheers,
B

 

What is root hormone called here? I've always wondered. My wife's farming family didn't seem to understand what I was looking for.

If they're anything like hops, I think as soon as there is not threat of frost, you'd be ok. But you should definitely not take my word for that.

 

Woops, I meant to write that I was curious as to when is the best time for cutting the hops rhizome here. So I guess late February should be fine I think the worst of winter is over already.

Most farms wouldn't need a root hormone unless they have an orchard or vineyard or other plants that require cloning. Greenhouse operations are more likely to carry it. Here is some of the text from the ルートン package I bought on Amazon:
さし木の発根促進剤　さしきのはっこんそくしんざい　ルートン
ナフチルアセトミド　０．４％
鉱物質　こうぶつしつ　９９．６％

A bit of a neat trick for plant growth hormones is to steal them from another plant - there are several good "donor" plants for this. The actively growing branch tips from a willow tree (salix sp) steeped in warm water for a day or more makes willow water. If you are near the ocean you can get some brown seaweed (the stuff with a ton of branches) and rinse the salt off, then blend or make a slurry with it.

I used the willow water this summer and managed to get half of a leaf from a hop plant to grow roots, but there are only a couple of sickly looking willows in my area so I bought powder which I can use anytime without the prep.

 

I thought you were looking to get rhizomes. Are you already growing hops?

I kinda got the idea that my wife's grandma understood what I was looking for, but insisted that what I needed to do was different. Now I know what to look for! Thanx.

That's being resourceful. Good to know.

Maybe you can get some plants going from wet hops. It would cost a small fortune, but having a bunch of these newer hops that aren't sold as a rhizome would be awesome.

 

Yes I already have 2 rootstocks that were given to me in October by a generous homebrewer leaving the country. I intend to share them when winter dormancy is ending. I have magnum and centennial as far as I know.

I have a 3rd plant that is unknown and in seriously unstable health after being moved too often/flooded/overheated in the summer/chewed by cats. I won't be able to share the 3rd plant this season without risking killing it. The root hormone is a safety net for cuttings. During the growing season I can cut short runners or even just leaves, and root them with the hormone, and build up several extra plants in pots without risking the main stock.

Plant hormones are pretty interesting, there is all sorts of stuff going on in our brewing ingredients!

 

So someone gave you the whole crown? That's nice.

 

Yeah, I had previously arranged with him for a cutting at the end of the season and then things changed for him and he moved to America so he had to get rid of them anyway. I promised to pass on my good fortune and help other homebrewers out with some rhizomes.

BTW I am doing some seed shopping for my garden and these hops suddenly this shows up (http://sakata-netshop.com/shop/item_detail?category_id=1503&item_id=106032). I need a better translation I think it says 6 strains of hops? Even if it is just ornamental it would be good to know what is out there....

 

I think this is 6 seedlings of one type. It's probably the proper female plant, but not knowing the type....

I've seen magnum and fuggle on a different site. I'll link to it in a few minutes.

 

http://www.qherb.jp/onlineshop/gardening/plants/onlineshop-plantsha.html

There are several types on this page. Challenger and Fuggle are pretty clear. There is a "dwarf hop", a "golden hop", and just plain "hops". The last one is probably an ornamental type.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_hop_varieties

According to the above link, there is one type considered a dwarf hop, and it is a mix of Goldings and Challenger. It is also listed as WYE, which is a breeder that produces the challenger listed above (I think), so it's a good bet that this shop orders from there and that the dwarf hop is indeed the one listed on that hops type wiki page.

Golden hop is also listed in the wiki link above as an ornamental hop.

FYI, I spoke with them last year regarding male/female, thinking that they might actually be produced by seeds. They told me there was nothing to be worried about, they were produced by rhizomes or cuttings.

 

I think it would be fun to find a rhizome of sorachi ace.