I only have one major item on the itinerary today. That is to visit the Sapporo Beer Museum. Sapporo Beer is one of my favourite beverages and having an opportunity to visit their home is as close to a “must visit” as anything else on this trip! Since it’s a pretty light schedule I sleep in a little before heading out in the late morning. One of the great things about Japan is that their convenience stores have all manner of tasty foods. Having an egg salad sandwich with coffee makes for a filling and affordable breakfast meal! Why can’t convenience store food at home be THIS GOOD?
The Sapporo Beer Museum
With a great breakfast in my belly, I hop on a bus (#88) from Odori Park that takes me straight to the Sapporo Beer Museum. Once I get off the bus, its almost like seeing a winter wonderland! Despite the fact that this is the home of a tasty adult beverage, the rustic factory buildings with the snowy backdrop make for a scenic setting! I spend a little time taking in the factory grounds before making my way into the Beer Museum.
After entering the Sapporo Beer Museum, you’re immersed in the history of the brewery. How it came to be and the timeline from the start until now. It talks a bit about the different products throughout it’s history along with the history of the campus here in Sapporo. What’s interesting is that while most of the signage is in Japanese, at the side of all the displays are small laminated cards that contain the same information but in various languages. I thought this is a great idea to be able to cater to so many different groups of visitors!
Another cool display, is the history of advertising over the years. This includes labelling on the bottles to various print media over time. While the advertising display is not as extensive as the Guiness Storehouse, its still interesting to see!
Star Hall Tasting Corner
After going through the museum exhibits, I then descend into the Star Hall Tasting Corner. This is probably what a lot of people come to the museum for! You can pay for a flight of different Sapporo beers and enjoy it in the cozy setting of this hall. It does get quite busy though, and I did end up lining up for a about fifteen minutes before being able to pay for my flight at the vending machine, receiving my flight, finding an open spot and enjoying my beverages.
Garden grill for “Genghis Kahn”
After enjoying my beverages, there is still one thing on my list of things to do. This is to enjoy a “Genghis Kahn” meal here. Genghis Kahn is a meal that consists of Lamb/mutton and vegetables that you grill on your own. Originally my plan is to go to the Sapporo Beer Museum Beer Garden to do this. There is an option to do an all you can eat meat and beer menu. However, when I tried to make a booking, nothing was available for at least several hours. Seeing as I’d already consumed three glasses of beer, I figure the wait and potential value wouldn’t be worth it.
So I, instead opted to do a la carte Genghis Kahan at another restaurant on site called the Garden Grill. Here, I ordered a set Genghis Kahn meal along with (you guessed it!) another beer! The set menu gives me a good sampling of what the all you can eat menu would consist of, without the pressure to get my money’s worth or immense regret afterwards! While lamb typically isn’t a favourite of mine, I don’t have anything bad to say about this meal and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to anyone!
I will say though that if you are planning to visit, I still think the atmosphere of the all you can drink/eat beer garden is still something to check out. It’s one of my regrets which I’ll probably need to find a way to remedy in the future. But if you go, make sure to make reservations ahead of time.
Lazy Sapporo Evening
By the time my Genghis Kahn meal is done, its already the late afternoon. Along with the amount of alcohol consumption, I decide to make my way back to my hotel for a bit of a nap. When I wake up, its well into the evening, and I head out to find a good amount of snow falling.
I try to wander the streets a little but decide I should seek some food out before it gets too late. With the snowfall, it makes waiting in line for restaurants a little unappetizing. So in tune with my “lazy day out” theme, I decide to hit up a local “fast food” chain called Yoshinoya. Their main offering are rice bowls which I’ve always been a fan of! Instead of eating in, I decide to do a bit of take out and head back to my hotel to enjoy a movie at home. Nothing too flashy today, but a slower paced day is always welcome!
After the movie, I quickly take a shower and hop into bed. Tomorrow will be a full day as I head out of Sapporo to visit another producer of beverages, Nikka.
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