suntory beer factory tour

• Tokyo Cheapo (繁體中文)

Get Your Tour and Pour On at Suntory Brewery

For just an hour of your time you can enjoy a free factory tour and beer tasting at Suntory’s Musashino Brewery in Fuchu, Tokyo.

Get off at Bubaigawara Station, catch the factory’s free shuttle, and you’re on your way to getting an up-close and personal look into beer giant Suntory’s Premium Malt brewing process. After about a 5-minute shuttle ride you arrive at the lobby and are promptly greeted by the friendly staff.

Your eyes are immediately drawn to the center wall that features the hallmark blue and gold Suntory logo, but before you go anywhere be sure to check in at the reception desk on the right side of the lobby.

If you have some time to kill before your tour starts be sure to check out the gift shop and the beer-themed photo props next to the logo wall so you can make your very own Suntory factory souvenir photo. If your tour begins right away don’t worry, you can visit these areas again at the end of the tour.

When it’s time to begin, you’ll take the elevator upstairs where you’ll be shown a short video about the quality of the spring water they use in their brewing process.

The first stop after the introduction is the hops display where you’ll learn about the type of hops that Suntory uses. You’ll even get to taste and smell a sample!

Next you’ll be led through a long hallway to the vat area where you can look inside a port-hole window that allows you to see what the vat looks like.

Then you’ll move on to the filling and packaging area. You’ll watch a short video about their process and you can look through the large windows that allow you to see the factory floor.

And now for best part of the tour: the beer tasting. You get to wet your whistle on some freshly brewed Suntory beer straight from the factory.  After all, you worked hard learning all about the process on the tour, so you deserve a few cold ones!

Each guest can savor 3 frosty beers from Suntory’s selection of the day. You’ll also find Suntory-branded salty snacks on the table to pair with your brew.

After everyone gets their beer your tour guide will show you how to properly pour it so you get a nice foam, just like in the Suntory commercials.

True to Japan’s affinity for convenience and customer service, Suntory even offers a mail-order option where they will deliver fresh Suntory beer to your doorstep if you live in Tokyo.

After the tasting you head back down to the lobby where you can check out the gift shop and souvenir photo wall if you didn’t have time before the tour. At the gift shop you’ll find a variety of their beers, handmade glassware, t-shirts, key chains, and other gift ideas.

If you buy nothing else I highly recommend the Fujiyama beer glass, designed to resemble the iconic Mt. Fuji when a beer is poured into it. The Fujiyama glass won a Tokyo Midtown Award for its design and level of craftsmanship. It’s a little small (and a little pricey too at about 5,000 yen), but its hand blown glass from a master glass blower and comes in an elegant bamboo gift box, making it a fantastic souvenir for yourself, or a unique gift for someone back home.

Important points to consider:

• Cameras are welcome, just know that there are some areas of the factory where photography and recording are not allowed. You’ll see signs advising where you can and can’t take pictures.
• The tour, handouts, and display placards are all in Japanese, so be sure to bring a native Japanese speaker if you want to learn about all the nitty-gritty details involved in beer brewing. Even without a native speaker to help you can still get the general idea, after all, beer is a universal language.
• Children and non-beer drinkers are welcome, as there are soft drinks and water available in the tasting room in lieu of beer.
• If you’ll have more than 10 people in your group you’ll need to make a reservation, which can be done over the phone, or on their website. Be sure to use Google Translate or the Google Chrome browser to help with making an online reservation.

Access : It’s about a 1.6 km walk from Bubaigawara station, or you can take the free shuttle on the south side of the station near the horse-mounted samurai statue.

Tour times : Monday-Friday 10:00 am-4:00 pm. Saturday, Sunday, and Japanese public holidays 10:00 am-11:30 am.

And if you really love free beer (and sake!), you can also check out the free tour at Ishikawa Brewery —the “Disneyland for beer lovers”.

• Suntory Musashino Brewery

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Suntory Kyoto Brewery

• Workshops & Breweries

Suntory Kyoto Brewery is Suntory's second brewery, opened in 1969 in Nagaokakyo City. Around 90% of beer is made of water, so Suntory insists on building their brewery in places rich in high quality ground water. A tour of the brewery will demonstrate the process of beer production, from ingredient selection, wort production, fermentation, maturation, and filtration to packaging. At the end of the tour, there are 3 kinds of beer available for tasting (the types of beer available for tasting may change without prior notice). Other special events or seminars may take place, and inside the brewery you'll also find a souvenir store that sells the "Premium Malt's" beer and accompanying appetizers. Guided tour: Includes explanation about each step of the beer making procedure and free beer tasting in the brewery. Available everyday except for holidays from 10:00 a.m. - 3:15 p.m. (last tour), 70 minutes each, free of charge, reservation required.

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Kansai Odyssey

Adventures in Kansai and Beyond

There are four big beer companies in Japan: Asahi, Suntory, Kirin, and Sapporo. The first three have a pretty even distribution around Japan, but sadly the Sapporo factories are farther away than is reasonable for us to go to at the time— so, best three out of four?

Suntory started in the Osaka area in 1899, by a man named Shinjiro Tori . The name “Suntory” comes from “Tori” and the honorific “san”.

So “Tori-san” -＞ “SanTori” -＞Suntory

While the Suntory first became famous for its whiskey, their beers have been very successful and produce my favorite mass produced beer, The Premium Malt’s . What makes Premium Malt’s special is that it is a 100% malted barley Danish style beer. I have never seen this beer sold in America, which seems strange since all the other big Japanese beers get imported.

In any case, as luck would have it, the  Suntory  Kyoto  beer factory is one of the factories that makes Premium Malt’s.  Reservations are a must for this tour! You can sign up for the free tour here you want, however, the website is only available in Japanese. The tour is also open to young children, but naturally they cannot have any alcohol. 

There are two kinds of tours offered, the regular factory tour and the Premium Malt Lecture (ザ プレミアム モルツ講座) The only difference between the two is that the you don’t get to tour the factory with the Malt Lecture. You still get beer at the end, same as the factory tour, so I guess this is just for those more interested in the details of beer making.

Getting to The Suntory Kyoto Beer Factory

There are two train stations near the factory, the Hankyu Nishiyama Tennousan Staion [西山天王山] and the JR Nagaoka-kyo Station [長岡京]. From either of these stations it will be roughly 10 minutes to Nagaoka-kyo.  There is a free shuttle to the factory from either station.

From Kyoto:

JR : At the JR Kyoto Station take a Rapid or Local service train bound for either Osaka, Shin-Osaka or Sannomiya .

Be careful! The New Rapid  service trains do not stop at Nagaoka-kyo!

Hankyu : At Kyoto Kawaramachi Station take any train abound for Umeda.

From Osaka:

Getting to the Suntory factory from Osaka is also very easy. In the Hankyu Umeda Station, take a train bound for Kyoto Kawaramachi.

The Suntory Kyoto Beer Factory

Suntory Kyoto Beer Factory Tour

Once you get to the Suntory factory, be sure to sign in at the front desk to receive your welcome brochures.

Before long, the factory tour will start and you will be guided through the various stages of production.

Suntory Beer Tasting

Finally, after the 70 minute tour of the factory is completed, you will be rewarded with the pièce de résistance—the beer tasting!

In the tasting room, each guest gets to choose from any of the beers on tap.  The beer tasting lasts for about 30 minutes, and Suntory recommends 3 glasses of beer per guest. If you cannot drink beer or have children with you, there is a different section of the tasting room that offers  juice of soft drinks during the 30 minute tasting.

Suntory Kyoto Beer Factory

The Suntory beer factory tour is a really fun change of pace. Even though the tour is conducted exclusively in Japanese, its not only good practice for your language still but it is still interesting to see all the different parts of the factory. The free beer isn’t bad either. All in all, I think anyone who comes will have a good time.  If you would like to hit up another beer tour, you should check out the Asahi Beer Factory in Suita too!

Coming next time, Another beer tour!

https://kansai-odyssey.com/asahi-beer-suita-factory-tour/

Our somewhat tipsy adventure continues…

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Suntory Musashino Beer Factory

Time out says.

Known for its blue and gold cans of Premium Malt’s, Suntory will take you on a tour of its brewery, walking you through the various stages of beer-making, from nurturing the hops to the customary sampling of the wares. The 70-minute tour starts with an introductory video before diving into the production process, and, somewhere along the line, you’ll get the chance to walk into a beer vat. While you can’t wander into the production line itself, explanatory footage with English subtitles give you the lowdown on what’s going on as you look on from the observation gallery. At the end, you’ll be treated to three draft beers – just what you need to relax after watching other people hard at work.

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8-Hour Tour of Suntory Beer Factory and Sake Brewery in Kyoto

gastronomical, winetour, sightseeing

Private Tour

English, Mandarin

Description

Sign up for this excursion in Kyoto and get a chance to visit the Suntory Beer Factory. Then, head to Sake Brewery in Fushimi and enjoy the wine-tasting experience. Taste whiskey, beer, shochu, fruit wine and Japanese sake, which is also popular overseas

Kyoto sighteeing and beer and sake visit and stating tour

• 10:15 AM: Visit the Suntory Beer Factory (tasting included).
• 11:30: Take a taxi to Keihan Yodo Station. Get off at Keihan Line Chushoji Station from Eibori-Yodo Station. Arrive at Gekkeikan Okura Memorial Hall Jiro in 10 minutes on foot.
• We will take a 45-minute lunch break on the way.
• 14:00: Go for a Sake brewery tour with sake tasting.
• 15:10: Then, board the train from Chushoji Station to reach Kyoto station.
• 15:40: Arrive at Kyoto station for 30 min by train.
• Travel to Kyoto for shopping and sightseeing around Kyoto Station (Kyoto Tower, etc.).
• 17:00: Dissolution.

What's Included

What's excluded, meeting point, cancellation policy.

For cancellations within 24 hours before the tour -

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• Around Kyoto Station & Southern Kyoto
• Suntory Kyoto Brewery

Suntory Kyoto Brewery サントリー 京都ブルワリー

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Relax and drink for free at the Suntory Kyoto Brewery

Quick facts.

There are plenty of beer-related souvenirs that you can only buy here

How to Get There

You can get to the brewery by train and shuttle bus.

From whiskey to beer

Suntory operates a whisky distillery, and even produced the first whisky to be registered in the U.S. (In fact, you can also tour the Suntory Yamazaki Distillery, 30 minutes south of the brewery by train.)

After their success with whiskey, Suntory began brewing its own beer, and soon became one of the most popular breweries in the country.

See the process from start to finish

Hour-long tours are available at the brewery, with corresponding pamphlets in English, Korean and Chinese. A guide will take you around the rather industrial factory, where you can learn about the beer-brewing process from beginning to end.

After the tour comes the best part—a tasting session where you can try Suntory's beers for free. Juice, tea and water are also available. A pouring demonstration is held while you imbibe.

* The information on this page may be subject to change due to COVID-19.

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The Concierge Experiences, Tours & Tickets

Where Beer Is Born: Take a Suntory Brewery Tour in Musashino

December 5, 2017 Updated On December 26, 2022

As you head towards the end of the year in Tokyo, the first thing you need to do is get your bonenkai experience sorted . After that’s done, perhaps you want to learn a little more about the beer you’ll be sipping on as you celebrate the festive season. A visit to Suntory’s brewery is educational up front, with a delicious finish.

Japan may be best known for sake , but if you go to bars, pubs, and izakayas, the drink that you’ll most commonly find being poured is beer. Japan consumed more than 2.72 million kiloliters – that’s 718.5 million gallons – of the beverage in 2015, and is showing no signs of slowing down.

One of the giants of Japanese beer is Suntory, and their flagship product is The Premium Malt’s, an easy drinking lager that goes great with Japanese food, whether it’s yakitori skewers from a yatai during the summer or a hearty yakiniku feast in the middle of winter.

Suntory has four breweries in Japan: one in Tokyo’s Musashino area, one in Kyoto, one in Gunma, and one in Kumamoto, and tours are available at three of the breweries. When we heard about the opportunity to visit their Musashino brewery recently, we jumped at the chance.

A short walk from Fuchu Hommachi Station, the brewery is a massive operation, producing hundreds of thousands of liters of beer every day. Walking into the facilities, we were greeted by our tour guide, who led us to a small auditorium where an instructional video played and explained some of the things that make The Premium Malt’s the unique beer that it is – and as the tour moved into the manufacturing facilities, we got to see these for ourselves.

As our tour guide explained, only three ingredients go into The Premium Malt’s: water, barley, and hops. The first, and most plentiful ingredient in beer is water. In fact, beer is 90 percent water – so if anyone tries to tell you that beer isn’t a healthy drink, you can always counter with that! In order to ensure a plentiful supply of 100 percent natural water, each of Suntory’s four breweries is located close to a fresh water source. In the case of the brewery in Musashino, the water source is the Tama River, and water for the beer is drawn daily from an enormous well at the brewery. Every day, Suntory’s brewers taste the water to make sure it will bring out the best of the other two ingredients.

What comes next is barley. Suntory uses the finest two-row barley to make its malt, and adds a rarely found diamond malt (which comes from Czech Republic and surrounding countries) to its barley mix, making for an even deeper flavor. We were given a chance to taste the barley, which reminded us a bit of oatmeal that hadn’t yet been cooked. Finally, tour participants get a chance to smell hop pellets, which have a sharp, bitter aroma that balances out the natural sweetness of the barley malt.

After seeing the raw material that goes into making the beer, we were brought into a large section of the brewery where the first part of the magic that is beer brewing happens, and where you get to learn just a bit of the science behind a tall frosty one.

The malt is made from barley that is allowed to germinate, or sprout, which kicks off a biochemical process that gets it ready to brew beer. It develops the enzymes that will help turn the barley’s starch into sugar, and other enzymes that transform proteins in the grain into substances that the yeast, which will be used for fermentation, can “digest.”

In large tuns, or vats, the malt is mixed with water and heated in a process known as mashing. At this stage, the starches in the malt are broken down into sugars by enzymes that are present in the malt. One of the techniques that Suntory uses to add a special touch to their beer is a process known as double decoction, which means that part of the mash is taken out of the tun and boiled, or decocted, two times in order to draw out the unique flavors of the malt.

At this point, the sweet mixture of heated malt and water is known as wort, and the smell of it heating away in a large section of the brewery is much like the smell of oatmeal cooking in the morning – except on a much larger scale. You can also peer into the various tuns, thanks to windows mounted on top of them, which let you see exactly what is going on inside.

The next stage in the production of the wort is crucial to the flavor of good beer. In order to balance out the sweetness of the wort and add complexity to the flavor of the brew, hops are added to the wort twice: once when it begins to boil, and again just at the time when the boiling is about to stop. Suntory uses aroma hops for the first hopping stage, and these hops impart a bitter flavor that balances out the sweetness of the malt. Meanwhile, in the second hopping, fine aroma hops are used, which give the beer an elegant, refined aroma.

The next step is fermentation, which takes place at a much lower temperature than wort production. Yeast is added to the hopped wort, and during fermentation, the yeast turns the sugars in the wort into alcohol and carbon dioxide. After about seven days, the fermentation transforms the mixture into “young beer,” which is then matured as its flavor gets milder. Once it is matured, it is filtered, removing all of the materials that were used from the earlier stages of the beer-making process. What is left behind is the clear, golden color that is the mark of a fine lager beer.

Finally, the beer is packaged in cans, bottles, kegs, and other containers – guests on the tour can watch cans of The Premium Malt’s moving along conveyor belts, and boxed into cases.

After seeing so much of the work that goes into making the beer, we were more than ready to taste the final product. Fortunately, the final – and just maybe our favorite – part of the brewery tour is a visit to Suntory’s tasting rooms, where guests can sample three different varieties of The Premium Malt’s: Premium Lager, Kaoru Ale, and Master’s Dream, a Pilsener type beer. Each is served, with just the right amount of creamy head, in a special glass meant to bring out the flavor of each brew. It’s a tasty way to finish off a learning experience.

To schedule a tour at Suntory’s brewery in Musashino, call 042-360-9591 or visit www.suntory.co.jp/factory/musashino/index.html

Photographs by Robert Kirsch

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Suntory Musashino Brewery Tour

A free brewery tour at its operational beer factory

Established in 1899, Suntory is one of the oldest companies that produces all kinds of drinks in Japan. You can even see their trademark all over the country. So, I was interested in visiting Suntory Musashino Brewery after a friend’s suggestion. The excursion was in Japanese as most of the visitors were Japanese – adults as well as kids. But, as the explanation went along with the demonstration, it was easy to understand. The tour guide told us how beer was made and all of the ingredients it comes from. The last part of the tour was trying different sorts of beer for adults and soft drinks for children. Then we could buy special sets at the gift shop. I enjoyed the tour a lot!

Tours take place every 30 minutes between 10am and 4pm.

Free shuttle bus from Bubaigawara Station (Keio and Nambu lines).

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Get Your Tour and Pour On at Suntory Brewery

This article by angela schnabel first appeared on tokyo cheapo ..

For just an hour of your time you can enjoy a free factory tour and beer tasting at Suntory’s Musashino Brewery in Fuchu, Tokyo.

Get off at Bubaigawara Station, catch the factory’s free shuttle, and you’re on your way to getting an up-close and personal look into beer giant Suntory’s Premium Malt brewing process. After about a 5-minute shuttle ride you arrive at the lobby and are promptly greeted by the friendly staff.

Your eyes are immediately drawn to the center wall that features the hallmark blue and gold Suntory logo, but before you go anywhere be sure to check in at the reception desk on the right side of the lobby.

If you have some time to kill before your tour starts be sure to check out the gift shop and the beer-themed photo props next to the logo wall so you can make your very own Suntory factory souvenir photo. If your tour begins right away don’t worry, you can visit these areas again at the end of the tour.

When it’s time to begin, you’ll take the elevator upstairs where you’ll be shown a short video about the quality of the spring water they use in their brewing process.

The first stop after the introduction is the hops display where you’ll learn about the type of hops that Suntory uses. You’ll even get to taste and smell a sample!

Next you’ll be led through a long hallway to the vat area where you can look inside a port-hole window that allows you to see what the vat looks like.

Then you’ll move on to the filling and packaging area. You’ll watch a short video about their process and you can look through the large windows that allow you to see the factory floor.

And now for best part of the tour: the beer tasting. You get to wet your whistle on some freshly brewed Suntory beer straight from the factory. After all, you worked hard learning all about the process on the tour, so you deserve a few cold ones!

Each guest can savor 3 frosty beers from Suntory’s selection of the day. You’ll also find Suntory-branded salty snacks on the table to pair with your brew.

After everyone gets their beer your tour guide will show you how to properly pour it so you get a nice foam, just like in the Suntory commercials.

True to Japan’s affinity for convenience and customer service, Suntory even offers a mail-order option where they will deliver fresh Suntory beer to your doorstep if you live in Tokyo.

After the tasting you head back down to the lobby where you can check out the gift shop and souvenir photo wall if you didn’t have time before the tour. At the gift shop you’ll find a variety of their beers, handmade glassware, t-shirts, key chains, and other gift ideas.

If you buy nothing else I highly recommend the Fujiyama beer glass , designed to resemble the iconic Mt. Fuji when a beer is poured into it. The Fujiyama glass won a Tokyo Midtown Award for its design and level of craftsmanship. It’s a little small (and a little pricey too at about ¥5,000), but its hand blown glass from a master glass blower and comes in an elegant bamboo gift box, making it a fantastic souvenir for yourself, or a unique gift for someone back home.

Important points to consider:

• Cameras are welcome, just know that there are some areas of the factory where photography and recording are not allowed. You’ll see signs advising where you can and can’t take pictures.
• The tour, handouts, and display placards are all in Japanese, so be sure to bring a native Japanese speaker if you want to learn about all the nitty-gritty details involved in beer brewing. Even without a native speaker to help you can still get the general idea, after all, beer is a universal language.
• Children and non-beer drinkers are welcome, as there are soft drinks and water available in the tasting room in lieu of beer.
• If you’ll have more than 10 people in your group you’ll need to make a reservation, which can be done over the phone, or on their website. Be sure to use Google Translate or the Google Chrome browser to help with making an online reservation.

Access: It’s about a 1.6-km walk from Bubaigawara station, or you can take the free shuttle on the south side of the station near the horse-mounted samurai statue.

Tour times: Monday-Friday 10:00 am-4:00 pm. Saturday, Sunday, and Japanese public holidays 10:00 am-11:30 am.

And if you really love free beer (and sake!), you can also check out the free tour at Ishikawa Brewery — the “Disneyland for beer lovers”.

Images by Angela Schnabel

Read more and see a map on Tokyo Cheapo

Categories:, japan's first robot wedding: maywa denki's frois and yuki kashiwagi android yukirin join together in holy matrimony, yaoi goes mainstream "katana-danshi" photo book showcases samurai sword boys.

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Top 20 factory tours in Japan

There’s nothing worse that getting stuck on a guided tour going through room upon room of humdrum displays while a sleepy-eyed guide rambles on about nothing important. To save us all from making the mistake of going on a boring tour, Trip Advisor Japan compiled a list of the best factory tours in the country. Results are ranked according to the most talked about museums and factories on their website. As you might expect, over half of the best tours involve alcohol.

1. Instant Ramen Museum (Osaka)

Visitors can not only view the history of instant ramen, but also try their hand at making Chicken Ramen from scratch in a 90-minute workshop that costs only 500 yen. Visitors can also choose to make their own Cup Noodles for 300 yen. English audio guides are available for videos shown in the Research Shack and Cup Noodle Drama Theatre.

2. Nuchi-masu Salt Factory (Uruma City, Okinawa)

Nuchi-masu is a salt made in Okinawa that is so rich in minerals, it was in the Guinness World Records in 2000. Nuchi-masu is made entirely of Okinawan seawater taken from the Pacific Ocean and visitors of the salt factory can view and experience the making of this natural seasoning.

3. Nikka Whiskey Distillery (Yoichi City, Hokkaido)

Self-guided tours and guided-tours in Japanese are conducted daily. The best part is that visitors can taste three different types of whiskey for free.

4. Orion Beer Factory (Nago City, Okinawa)

Lesser known Orion beer can be sampled during your visit to Okinawa at the Orion Beer Factory.

5. Kawasaki Good Times World (Kobe City, Hyogo)

With a name like that, it’s got to be a good tour. Visitors to Kawasaki Good Times World are treated to a showcase of technology made by the Kawasaki Heavy Industries Group including ships, rolling stock, aircraft, and motorcycles.

6. Suntory Musashino Factory (Fuchu City, Tokyo)

Enjoy free samples of beer here…and tours and other stuff, but mostly free samples.

7. Suntory Yamazaki Distillery (Shimamoto Town, Osaka)

Enjoy free Yamazaki Whiskey here.

8. Chateraise (Hokuto City, Yamanashi)

Chateraise is a natural sweets and gifts company in Yamanashi Prefecture. Enjoy a tour of the ice cream making facilities as well as sweet samples.

9. Toyota Technology Museum (Nagoya City, Aichi)

The Toyota Technology Museum boasts over 4,000 exhibition pieces in their Nagoya-based building.

10. Suntory Kyoto Beer Factory (Nagaokakyo City, Kyoto)

Enjoy those free samples.

11. Asahi Beer Factory (Fukuoka City, Fukuoka)

This isn’t even the last alcohol-based tour on our list…

12. Suntory Tomi No Oka Winery (Kai City, Yamanashi)

For wine lovers.

13. Kirin Yokohama Beer Village (Yokohama City, Kanagawa)

Keep scrolling for more beer tour options.

14. Unagi Pie Factory (Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka)

Unagi Pies are a famous Hamamatsu City confectionery. After touring the factory, visitors are invited to try original ice cream creations using Unagi Pies.

15. Sapporo Beer Museum (Sapporo City, Hokkaido)

16. Suntory Hakushu Distillery (Hakuto City, Yamanashi)

17. Tokachi Winery (Tokachi City, Hokkaido)

18. Shiroi Koibito Park (Sapporo City, Hokkaido)

Enjoy sampling Hokkaido’s famous treat at the Shiroi Koibito Park.

19. Royce Chocolate World (Chitose City, Hokkaido)

Royce Chocolate World is in the New Chitose Airport. It is the first chocolate factory and museum located in an airport. 20. Cup Noodle Museum (Yokohama City, Kanagawa)

View 3,000 different packages of ramen and enjoy making your own at the Cup Noodle Museum.

There you have it, the top 20 factory tours in Japan starting and ending with ramen. Of the 20 factories listed, 11 are related to alcohol and five are located in Hokkaido. Suntory seems to hold great tours if the company’s five spots in the top 20 are any indication. But the lesson to take away from this list is that no matter where you go in Japan you’ll be able to find a factory tour giving out free alcohol. Happy drinking!

Source: NariNari

Read more stories form RocketNews24. -- Instant Ramen #1 on Favorite Japanese Factory Tours, Field Trips -- Free Admission – Twelve of Tokyo’s Best Kept Secrets -- Top 20 Japanese Travel Destinations For Foreign Visitors

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6 Comments Login to comment

Harry_Gatto June 6, 2013 08:42 am JST

Suntory and Nikka make whisky, not whiskey.

nicolls June 6, 2013 10:00 am JST

it's all food.

JetSpeed June 6, 2013 11:05 am JST

Bunch of damn drunks.

davestrousers June 6, 2013 11:37 am JST

Asahi Beer Factory (Fukuoka City, Fukuoka)

There are 8 Asahi Beer factories offering tours dotted around Japan. Any particular reason this one makes the top 20?

nath June 11, 2013 02:39 pm JST

@ dave because Kyushu was ill represented in this list.

Matt McCormick Oct. 1, 2013 06:50 am JST

The Sapporo beer museum doesn't do tours anymore. I was there two months ago and was disappointed going there. Basically it's just a room where you can see a couple vats and read about the history (only in Japanese)

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Suntory Musashino Brewery

Learn about beer at the birthplace of the premium malt’s.

Photos & Videos

A factory tour which is irresistible for beer fans

 Suntory Beer is not just known within Japan but also around the world. The Premium Malt’s is one of the brands that has garnered many fans for its high quality and taste. Suntory Musashino Brewery was first opened as Suntory’s 1st beer factory in 1963. It is the birthplace for The Premium Malt’s where you can get a close-up look at the specifics behind its brewing. You will absolutely savor the taste of your favourite beer once you experience the making of Suntory beer through the stages of selecting the ingredients, wort production, fermentation, maturation, filtration and then packaging.

A factory to enjoyably learn about beer for free

  The tours include guided tours and The Premium Malt’s lectures. The free guided tours last 60 minutes where you can learn about the production of beer while going around the factory and then sampling The Premium Malt’s during the second half. In The Premium Malt’s lectures, you can get further insight of the thoughts of brewers for The Premium Malt’s through a special video and encountering the ingredients. This is a free 90-minute course where you can also sample the brew while noshing on suggested snacks. Limited-time courses with an admission fee are also occasionally held so please refer to the homepage. Reservations are accepted online or by telephone.

Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum

The old architecture from the Edo to Showa Eras preserved. Feel the old times of Japan from their building

Sanrio Puroland

An indoor theme park where you can meet Sanrio characters

Showa Kinen Park

A lush green park covering a large 180ha with leisure facilities enjoyed by children and adults

Ghibli Museum

A museum filled with your Ghibli favorites like “Totoro” and “Laputa”

Kawasaki City Fujiko F Fujio Museum

The dream-filled world of Japanese comics by the creator of “Doraemon”

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• Food & Drinks
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6 Beer Factories and Museum Easily Reachable from Tokyo

• tsunagu Japan

At these beer factories, you can not only watch the production of delicious beer, but also taste freshly brewed beer as well! You can enjoy them with just 1-2 hours of free time, so they're great as sightseeing spots with your family or significant other. Here are 6 that are easily accessible from Tokyo.

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1. Suntory Musashino Beer Factory [Tokyo]

At Suntory Musashino Beer Factory, you can enjoy a tour of the beer brewery and try The Premium Malts. 

After the tour of the production factory, you can check out the packaging process from filling up cans and kegs to boxing. 

06_boys1224

After you finish the tour, you can try freshly brewed The Premium Malts. After the tour and the beer tasting, you can take a photo with a Malts panel and buy original goods that can only be found here in the shop. It takes about 70 minutes, and is free.

[About Suntory Musashino Beer Factory]

Opening Hours: 9:30-17:00

Closed: End of the year holiday, when the factory is closed (including special holidays) 

Price/fee:  Free

Access:  10 minutes by shuttle bus from Bubaigawara Station, 15 minute walk from Fuchu Honmachi Station 

Address:  Yazakicho 3-1, Fuchu-shi, Tokyo ( Google Map )

HP: www.suntory.co.jp/factory/musashino/ (Japanese Only)

2. Yebisu Beer Museum [Tokyo] 

Yebisu Beer Kinenkan is a place where you can have a tour and a tasting for 500 yen. You can also learn about the secrets behind the creation of Yebisu Beer and the history presented in the Yebisu Gallery.

Yebisu experts will guide you around the brewing machines. You can learn how Yebisu is made by seeing the factory sights that are normally unseen.

sakuradinho

After the tour, you can taste fresh Yebisu Beer or Kohaku Yebisu Beer. There's also a shop so you can buy souvenirs. This factory tour is recommended for date nights.

[About Yebisu Beer Museum]

Opening Hours: 11:00-19:00

Closed: Mondays, end of the year holidays, special holidays

Price/fee: Starting at 500 yen 

Access: 5 minute walk from Ebisu Station 

Address: Inside Ebisu Garden Place, Ebisu 4-20-1, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo ( Google Map )

HP: www.sapporobeer.jp/brewery/y_museum/access/index.html (Japanese Only)

3. Kirin Beer Yokohama Factory [Kanagawa]

satochin0212

At the Kirin Beer Yokohama Factory, they have various 80 minute tours, including one of the secrets behind the deliciousness of Ichiban Shibori, one focusing on the blessings of nature, or a family tour.

You'll learn all about the production processes and the secrets behind the deliciousness of Kirin Ichiban Shibori through the tour and the guide's explanation.

After you take the tour, you can taste the difference between barley juice that's filtered once and filtered twice as well the actual barley wheat. On the tour about the blessings of nature, you can walk around the garden and a biotope while learning about the history of Kirin Beer. 

[About Kirin Beer Yokohama Factory]

Opening Hours: 10:00-17:00

Closed: Mondays (if it's a holiday then it's open and will be closed the next weekday instead)

Access: 10 minute walk from Namamugi Station and 20 minutes from Shin-Koyasu Station 

Address:  Namamugi 1-17-1, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa ( Google Map )

HP: www.kirin.co.jp/entertainment/factory/yokohama/access/ (Japanese Only)

4. Asahi Beer Kanagawa Factory [Kanagawa]

At the Asahi Beer Kanagawa Factory, you can enjoy a 90 minute tour of the production factory and taste freshly brewed beer. 

During the tour you can learn about Asahi Beer's initiatives through a video, and you can also see the preparation and filtering rooms as well as the fermentation and bottling/canning processes. You can also see a 360° angle video of the production line as well as a model of the huge wings of the windmill used for wind power generation as well as the quality control room.

sweetso8j._

After you finish the tour, in the guest hall you can taste freshly brewed Asahi Beer. You can try Super Dry, Super Dry Black, and Dry Premium. After you finish the tasting you can buy novelty goods and souvenirs at the shop and take a walk around the bio-garden. It's a great place to spend time with your family or significant other.

[About Asahi Beer Kanagawa Factory]

Opening Hours: 9:00-17:00

Closed: End of the year holidays

Price/fee: Free

Access:  20 minutes by bus or 15 minutes by taxi from Shin-Matsuda Station or 10 minutes by bus from Daiyuzan Station

Address: 1223 Nuda, Minamiashigara-shi, Kanagawa

 ( Google Map )

HP: www.asahibeer.co.jp/brewery/kanagawa/ (Japanese Only)

5. Roti's House [Chiba] 

At Roti's House, you can tour the brewery and enjoy a beer tasting of local Maihama beer.

At the Harvest Moon brewery, you can learn about the production process from a master certified by the Japanese Beer Association. You can also see the brewing process up close for a precious experience.

After the tour, you can enjoy tasting Harvest Moon beer at Roti's House. After the tasting, you can enjoy beer and rotisserie meals that go perfectly with the drinks. This is a popular area where you can enjoy not just beer but delicious meals too.

[About Roti's House]

Opening Hours: 11:00-23:00

Closed: Never

Access: 1 minute from Maihama Station

Address:  Ikispiari 4F, Maihama 1-4, Urayasu-shi, Chiba ( Google Map )

HP: www.ikspiari.co.jp/harvestmoon/rotishouse/index.html (Japanese Only)

6. Sapporo Beer Chiba Factory [Chiba] 

You can enjoy a Black Label tour at the Sapporo Beer Chiba Factory for 500 yen. You can hear all about the great attention to detail used in the ingredients and production process for Black Label, tour the factory, and try freshly brewed Black Label beer afterwards.

kuma_michell

You'll be able to enjoy the beer production process and facilities up close and it will deepen your understanding of beer.

After the tour, you can taste freshly brewed Black Label as well as check out panels detailing the history of Black Label and watch commercials. There is also a shop where you can buy Black Label goods that can only be found here. 

[About Sapporo Beer Chiba Factory]

Closed: Mondays, end of the year holidays, special holidays 

Price/fee: 500 - 1,300 yen

Access: 15 minutes by taxi or shuttle bus from Tsudanuma Station, 5 minutes by taxi from Shin-Narashino Station

Address: Takasecho 2, Funabashi-shi, Chiba ( Google Map )

HP: www.sapporobeer.jp/brewery/chiba/ (Japanese Only)

These 6 beer breweries are accessible from Tokyo, and all of them are either free or very reasonably priced for tours and tastings. They also have shops selling original goods and you can go with children, so please try to visit them if you can!

The information in this article is accurate at the time of publication.

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Suntory Whisky Distilleries

Over a century ago, our first whisky distillery was founded near Kyoto, a region known for its clear, beautiful waters. Yamazaki Distillery soon became known as the birthplace of Japanese whisky, and since then several more distilleries have opened – each with its own innovative approach to finely crafted spirits.

VISIT US IN PERSON

Step inside our distilleries and experience the meticulous craft of a true pioneer in Japanese whisky. Both Yamazaki Distillery and Hakushu Distillery were recently renovated and now offer in-person tours, tastings and experiences that highlight the intimate connection between Japanese nature and our whiskies. We invite you to explore all the House of Suntory distilleries in more detail below.

Yamazaki Distillery

The Yamazaki Distillery is Japan’s first and oldest malt whisky distillery established in 1923 by Suntory's founder Shinjiro Torii. Inspired by traditional Scottish whisky, Torii envisioned a Japanese approach by choosing a terrain and climate completely different to those of Scotland to create a unique kind of whisky. The Yamazaki Distillery is thus the birthplace of Japanese whisky. Nestled proudly on the periphery of Kyoto, this region was formerly referred to as "Minaseno", where one of the purest waters of Japan originates.

Hakushu Distillery

The Hakushu Distillery was founded half a century after Yamazaki. Keizo Saji inherited his father’s vision in his quest for innovation and constructed this second Suntory distillery in 1973. The exceptionally soft mountain water of Hakushu originates as clear-flowing rainwater and melted snow, which passes through Mt. Kaikomagatake of the Japanese Southern Alps and joins the Ojira and Jingu Rivers at the mountain foot. With four distinctive seasons, the clear air and cool, humid climate of Hakushu’s vast forests allow the distillery, one of the few situated at an elevation of 700 meters or more, to produce high-quality whisky through a slow, unhurried process.

Chita Distillery

In 1972, Keizo Saji—Suntory's second Master Blender—took a momentous step forward in pursuing Shinjiro Torii’s vision for diverse and truly Japanese whiskies blessed with the riches of Japanese nature and craftsmanship. On the misty, calm shores of Chita Peninsula, Keizo built a distillery dedicated to creating high quality Japanese grain whisky. Through many years of research and innovation, the Chita Distillery’s grain whiskies have achieved an unrivaled sophistication and complexity—culminating in The Chita Single Grain Whisky.

Osaka Distillery

Roku Gin stands out as a different gin, one that is particularly Japanese. Its point of difference is mostly due to the precise balance between eight traditional gin botanicals and six uniquely Japanese botanicals. The Suntory Liquor Atelier is a unique distillery that creates a variety of spirits following the high standards set out by Suntory’s principles of artisanship. To maintain their renowned standards, Suntory has different kinds of distilling pots at their disposal, so that specific distillation methods may be used to extract the best flavors depending on the type of botanicals in use.

Osumi Distillery

At Suntory, the artisans of the House are committed to selecting the best ingredients, and elaborating on complex and innovative making techniques to create spirits of unrivaled quality and unique Japanese character. It is the signature of the House of Suntory‘s “Monozukuri” craftsmanship. Osumi Distillery is a new iteration of that philosophy, and inherits Shinjiro Torii’s vision of challenge and quest of excellence.

Our Distilleries: Image Gallery

More to Explore

Suntory whisky.

Suntory Whiskies embody the harmonious balance between the Japanese people and nature, taking distillation to an art form.

Craft and Philosophy

Suntory spirits embody the harmony that exists between Japanese nature and Japanese people. This unique fusion establishes our craft as an art form.