Their are 3 main beer brewing companies in Japan. Of Kirin, Sapporo, and Asahi, I have a personal preference for Asahi super dry. It being based in Fukuoka, one of my favorite places on the globe. The Asahi brand is a good brand. However, Japanese beer is made from rice not from wheat or any other thing. Kirin has an Ichiban shibori which means first wort. Kirin also has that cool logo of the Kirin which in modern Japanese means Giraffe but in days of old could have meant dragon or griffon.
www.kirin.com/
Now don't get me wrong, you can get very sick off of rice beer. I know first hand how bad things can get if you drink that big 2 liter bottle of Sapporo ichiban shibori. Remember to drink responsibly, and .4 is death on the BAC chart.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asahi_Breweries
