While touristy, we loved the Sapporo Beer Museum on Christmas Day 2024. It’s free to visit, though you can pay for a Premium Tour (English Audio Guides available). We did not do the tour, preferring to walk at our own pace, taking about 1.5 hours.
While the displays are in Japanese, each has two stands with full translations in English, Korean, and Chinese. There is also an overview/map that you can get from the stands on the exhibit floor. The exhibits about the development of beer brewing in Japan were very interesting.
Afterwards, I recommend trying the beer sampler. You must line up at the ticket vending machine. It was 1000円 for 3 beers, which we found big enough to share among 2 people. I also recommend going early as many people report that the shop selling the beer sampler closes 1-2 hours before the museum. We went just before lunch at the shopping centre next door.
The Sapporo Beer Museum is an absolute must-visit! I love that it’s the original site, which adds so much authenticity and charm to the experience. The exhibits do an amazing job of explaining the history of Sapporo Beer, from its beginnings to becoming a globally recognized brand. Whether you’re a beer lover or just enjoy learning about history, this place offers a perfect blend of both. Don’t forget to try a tasting at the end—it’s the cherry on top of an already fantastic visit!
Fairly easy to locate. No entrance ticket required. The premium tour was only conducted in Japanese. Tasting beers set at ¥1000 , Rice crackers & cheese at ¥100 each. Sapporo beer was good! Recommended to visit.
The outside of the beer museum was quaint and beautiful photo spot in winter. There's a self and premium tour available. Premium tour was fully booked by the time we arrived. If you do a self tour, the narrative text is in Japanese, so do grab one of those English explanatory cards to walk around the exhibits. The museum tour can be real quick, and then you will end up at the Sapporo Brewery gift shop, which sells a lot of munchies and paraphernalia. Near the shop is a counter where you go if you had reserved a place at their 3 jingisukan (Genghis Khan) style restaurants. If you have not reserved, you can go to the no reservations line for immediate seating on availability.
All in all, a nice short side trip.
A fun experience at Sapporo Beer Museum. We did the self guided tour because the paid tour was sold out, but the self guided was perfectly fine. They have English, Korean and Japanese cards to read from at every section of interest. At the end of the tour you line up to try the beer out. The sitting area has a maximum time if 30 minutes, but we took a little longer and it wasn't an issue. It's 1,000 yen each for a flight of 3 beers. It was fun to compare the different beers. Enjoy!
