Beer Factory Tour
Tokyo hosts some of the top Michelin restaurants in pretty much every genre, but what one may not know is the current emergence of amazing bakeries. Do expect some long lines (Japanese people love waiting in line!) before you can dive into the best of the best baked goods. From the basic loaf all the way to some unique muffins, the only thing that can disappoint you is not waking up early to get to these bakeries.
Many of these patissiers will not have English descriptions so it’s best to have Google Translate app on your phone, which can translate written Japanese in real time via the camera mode.
Asahi - Beer Factory
1. There are two near the greater Tokyo area, but a total of 8 factories exist in Japan for beer production. The Ibaraki Beer Factory is about 80 minutes from the hotel (Google Maps), and offers a free 90 minute tour of the facility starting with an orientation video. English tours are available upon request, so please reach out to the hotel (via messaging) to coordinate your request. Tours available daily except for days where the entire factory is closed.
Asahi Beer:
Hokkaido Brewery
Fukushima Brewery
Ibaraki Brewery
Kanagawa Brewery
Nagoya Brewery
Suita (Osaka) Brewery
Shikoku Brewery
Hakata Brewery
Suntory - Beer Factory
2. Suntory operates three beer breweries across Japan and there is one right here in Tokyo. The Tokyo-Musashino Brewery is about 90 minutes from the hotel (Google Maps), and offers a free 70 minutes tour throughout the facility. There are English, Chinese, and Korean language audio tour to be paired with the in-person tour guide for international visitors. This is one of the very few places you can buy bottled versions of Suntory’s top-of-the-line beer, “Master’s Dream”, which is only found in high-end restaurants hand picked by Suntory. Tours available daily except for days where the entire factory is closed.
Suntory Beer:
Tokyo Brewery
Kyoto Brewery
Kumamoto Brewery
Kirin - Beer Factory
3. The second largest beer manufacturer, Kirin, operates 9 beer breweries across Japan. The nearest brewery to the hotel is the Kirin Brewery Yokohama Factory, which would take you 60 minutes from the hotel (Google Maps), and offers a free 80 minutes tour including tasting. English tours are available upon request, so please reach out to the hotel for assistance in reservation of a tour. Tours available daily except for days where the entire factory is closed.
Kirin Beer:
Hokkaido Chitose Brewery
Sendai Brewery
Toride (Ibaraki) Brewery
Yokohama Brewery
Nagoya Brewery
Shiga Brewery
Kobe Brewery
Okayama Brewery
Fukuoka Brewery
Sapporo - Beer Factory
4. Sapporo operates six beer breweries across Japan and the closest factory to the hotel is in Chiba Prefecture, just 40 minutes away by train and a shuttle bus. Unfortunately, the factory does not host English tours, thus we recommend visiting the Museum of Yebisu Beer in near Ebisu station. Also 40 minutes from the hotel (Google Maps), the Yebisu beer museum hosts a 50 minute guided tour for 1000 yen per person. English tours are limited to only on Wednesdays, and can be booked from here.
Sapporo Beer:
Hokkaido Brewery
Sendai Brewery (no tour)
Chiba Brewery
Nasu (Tochigi) Brewery
Shizuoka Brewery (no tour)
Kyushu Hita (Oita) Brewery
Orion - Beer Factory
5. Orion is the fifth largest beer manufacturer of Japan and is headquartered in Okinawa. If you do visit Okinawa during your trip to Japan, then Orion Happy Park offers free tour (booking) of the facility, albeit only in Japanese. The tour is approximately 35 minutes and will show you each process of beer making throughout the tour including a tasting option at the end.
Now there are more breweries across Japan, all of the major facilities with tours listed below. If you are visiting the Kansai region (near Osaka and Kyoto), there are several factories for those brands mentioned above.
