Sapporo Beer Museum

What to know

Hokkaido is where beer culture began in Japan. Sapporo Beer, one of the country's oldest and most beloved beer brands, has been brewed in Sapporo since 1877.

The Sapporo Beer Museum (サッポロビール博物館, Sapporo Beer Hakubutsukan) opened in 1987 inside a former Meiji-era brewery. It traces the history of beer in Japan and explains the brewing process. After exploring the exhibits, you can sample beers for a small fee. Alternatively, paid Japanese-language tours include a tasting session at the end.

Adjacent to the museum is the Sapporo Beer Garden, a complex of several restaurants. Among them are atmospheric beer halls and the more upscale Garden Grill. The beer halls are famous for all-you-can-drink beer and all-you-can-eat mutton BBQ, a local specialty known as Genghis Khan (Jingisukan in Japanese).

The Beer Museum is accessible via the "Loop 88 Factory Line" bus, which stops at Odori Station and in front of the Tokyu department store near Sapporo Station (240 yen one way, every 30 minutes). Get off at the Sapporo Beer-en (サッポロビール園) bus stop. Alternatively, it's a 25-minute walk from JR Sapporo Station or a 15-minute walk from Higashi-kuyakusho-mae Station on the Toho Subway Line.