Recently, during a slight reprieve from the constant downpour that has been the rainy season this year, a couple of friends and I decided to visit the Asian Beer Garden located on the rooftop of Lotz in Fukuyama. For residents of Fukuyama, the beer garden on the roof of Lotz is a standard destination in the summer. The price and location (near Fukuyama Station) are convenient, and the view is pretty good too.
Open from roughly mid-May to mid-September each year, the cost of Asian Beer Garden is ¥3500 for adults and ¥1000 for children. It’s open every day 5:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. The theme of the beer garden is Asian Cuisine, and usually you can find some dishes from Vietnam, Thailand, Korea, and other countries under the section labeled “Asian Cuisine”. On this particular day, there was some tuna-kimchee concoction to be found there, among other things.
Next to the Asian Cuisine section is the “Fried Food” section. Here you’ll find izakaya staples such as fried potatoes, karaage (fried chicken), and korokke (breaded meat and potato cutlet). There are some desserts, as well. None of the food is a revelation, but it is about as good as you’ll find in most izakaya, and you’re probably there mostly to drink anyway. Unfortunately, the only brand of beer available is Asahi Super Dry. But they do offer black beer. There are also soft drinks, and some shochu (liquor made from potato) and nihonsyu (Sake liquor made from rice).
My visit to beer garden this time was a good experience, as usual. It was a nice day, with a gentle breeze. Because it was a weekday, it was also a very calm, relaxing atmosphere with few people around. If you go on a weekend, prepare for a much more lively experience! If you’re going with a large group, I would probably make reservations. I highly recommend this beer garden to anyone wanting an authentic Japanese "beer garden" experience. You may even make some new friends along the way!
