For grown-ups only! Ghibli Museum’s Straw Hat Cafe is offering “Valley of the Wind” beer

While adults visiting the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka, Tokyo may have fun reliving their childhood memories, there’s no doubt that the majority of the exhibits are geared towards the younger crowd. But did you know that the museum’s cafe offers a special something that only the grown-ups can enjoy?

We’ve got all the inside info about the cafe’s “Valley of the Wind” beer–a perfect treat for anyone who loves both beer and Ghibli!

Valley of the Wind beer is sold at the takeout corner of the Ghibli Museum’s on-site Straw Hat Cafe (or Cafe Mugiwaraboushi as it’s known in Japanese). The special beverage came to be sold there through a fortuitous collaboration with the Dairy Kingdom Oratche microbrewery, located in Shizuoka Prefecture’s Tanna Basin. Apparently, the Straw Hat Cafe’s beer manager took a liking to the local product, and decided to start selling it at the Ghibli Museum. Its label also features an illustration of an imagined spirit from the Valley of the Wind which is sold exclusively at the Straw Hat Cafe. Hayao Miyazaki’s son Goro Miyazaki, also an animation director at Studio Ghibli, came up with the design and drew the image himself.

According to our reporter who went for an obligatory taste test, the beer’s delicious flavor is most likely due to the fact that it’s made using pure Mt. Fuji water and locally grown barley. The bitterness of the hops is balanced perfectly and it has a pleasant aroma to boot. It’s even more delicious when you drink it with one of the hot dogs sold at the cafe’s takeout corner, which is exactly what our reporter did.

By the way, the beer’s name was NOT named after the (technically pre-) Ghibli movie Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, despite what you may be thinking. The manager who decided to sell it at the cafe was initially attracted to its taste, so it’s just a lucky coincidence that the name “Valley of the Wind” matches the title of the beloved animated film. Talk about a ready-made marketing scheme!