Sapporo Beer Garden & Museum
The birthplace of Sapporo Beer, housed in a grand red-brick factory complex built in 1890. The free museum traces the history of Japan's oldest brand through vintage posters and brewing machinery, while the cavernous Genghis Khan halls serve all-you-can-eat lamb BBQ and unlimited draft beer beneath soaring ceilings.
2–3 hours
Museum free. Genghis Khan BBQ from approx. ¥3,800 per person (course and time limit vary by hall); check official site for current courses and prices.
Beer Garden restaurants: 11:30–22:00 (last order 21:30); closed 31 Dec; check website for other closures.
Year-round
10-min walk from JR Sapporo Station; or free shuttle bus from Sapporo Station (East Exit)
Location
Why Visit
- 1
Sapporo Beer was first brewed here in 1876, making it Japan's oldest beer brand still in production
- 2
The Genghis Khan (jingisukan) lamb BBQ is Hokkaido's signature dish — fat drips onto a domed iron grill
- 3
The Star Hall seats over 1,000 diners under the original vaulted brick ceiling of the 19th-century malt factory
- 4
A free shuttle bus runs from Sapporo Station every 15 minutes during opening hours
Local Tips
Reserve a table online, especially on weekends — the Star Hall fills up by 18:00. The all-you-can-eat-and-drink set is best value; pair with Sapporo Classic draft, a beer only available in Hokkaido.
Add to your AI itinerary
Let AI build a multi-day trip around this spot.
Advertisement
More in Hokkaido
Abashiri Drift Ice & Aurora Icebreaker Cruise
Each winter the Sea of Okhotsk freezes in Siberia and vast sheets of drift ice — up to 1 metre thick — flow south to Abashiri, turning the sea into a grinding white plain. The Aurora icebreaker smashes through these floes on 1-hour cruises, and on calm days visitors can step onto the ice itself. This is the southernmost naturally occurring drift ice on the planet.
Asahiyama Zoo
Japan's most innovative zoo, which rescued itself from near-closure in the 1990s by pioneering "behaviour exhibits" — glass tunnels through penguin tanks, polar bear pools with underwater viewing, and orangutan sky-walks overhead. The winter penguin parade, when keepers walk the birds through snow for exercise, has become one of Hokkaido's most beloved daily spectacles.
Biei Patchwork Road
Rolling farmland hills west of Biei town that resemble a giant patchwork quilt — wheat, potatoes, lavender and sunflower fields stitched together across gentle knolls. Best explored by rental bicycle in summer.