Kirin Beer Factory

What to know

The Kirin Brewery Company, one of Japan's top four beer makers, was founded in Yokohama, a city that played a key role in introducing beer from the West. Tourists can visit the Kirin Beer Factory in Yokohama for brewery tours that offer a behind-the-scenes look at the brewing process and include beer tasting.

Brewery tours last about 90 minutes and take you along a gallery with exhibits on the history of beer and Kirin, plus views of fermentation tanks and the canning and bottling lines. Tours are usually conducted in Japanese, but an English guide may be available. The final 20 minutes are reserved for beer tasting.

Kirin's history is closely tied to the story of beer in Japan. After the country opened to foreign trade, beer flourished during the Meiji Period (1868–1912), especially in the international port city of Yokohama. The Kirin Brewery Company was established in 1907 when two of Japan's earliest breweries merged.

The Kirin Beer Factory is a 10-minute walk south of Namamugi Station on the Keikyu Main Line (20 minutes, 320 yen from Shinagawa; or 13 minutes, 180 yen from Yokohama). Alternatively, it's a 15-minute walk from JR Shin-Koyasu Station on the JR Keihin-Tohoku Line (20 minutes, 350 yen from Shinagawa or 6 minutes, 200 yen from Yokohama).

Brewery tours cost 500 yen per person and run approximately every hour from 9:40 to 15:00, except on Mondays when the factory is closed. If Monday is a national holiday, the factory is open as usual but closed the following day instead. It is also closed during the New Year holidays. Online reservations are recommended.