The Kirin Brewery Company, one of Japan's four leading beer breweries, was founded in Yokohama, a city that played a leading role in Japan's adoption of beer from the West. The Kirin Beer Village is a part of Kirin's Yokohama breweries that is open to the public. The main attraction of the Beer Village are the free brewery tours, which offer a glimpse into the brewing facilities and some beer tasting.

Brewery tours last one hour and lead along a gallery with views of fermentation tanks as well as the canning and bottling areas. Explanations and displays regarding the history of beer and Kirin are provided in Japanese, and there are English pamphlets available that allow foreign visitors without Japanese language knowledge to somewhat follow along. The last twenty minutes of the tour consist of a free tasting, where visitors are given a couple of beers and some snacks.

Kirin has a long history that is closely tied to the history of beer in Japan. After the opening of the country to foreign trade, beer began to thrive in Japan in the beginning of the Meiji Period (1868-1912), and particularly so in the international port city of Yokohama. The Kirin Brewery Company itself was established in 1907, when two of the country's first breweries decided to unite their operations.

Alcoholic Beverages

Minato Mirai 21
Osanbashi Pier
Yamashita Park
Yamate and Motomachi
Yokohama Chinatown
Sankeien Garden
Ramen Museum
Cup Noodles Museum
Kirin Beer Village
Zoorasia
Hakkeijima Sea Paradise

Yokohama Museum Guide
Cherry Blossom Spots