In Japan, the trains travel the same way cars do in Japan (opposite from America). This little fact I didn’t know or atleast forgot on my way back home which cost me 15 minutes to figure out.

Once on the train I was headed to Sapporo Station. Sapporo station is pretty big by comparison to the other stations in the greater Sapporo/Ebetsu area. It’s like the grand central of Hokkaido. All of this was pretty cool to look at, but a station that big made it easy to get lost or at least mixed up on which way was south and north.

I was unsure as to how to proceed, so I went into a building and the lady at the front escorted me to the museum section (how Sapporo beer started, is made, etc.). The tour was very interesting and cute. Everything about mass beer brewing was explained in detail according to some ancient method developed about 100-150 years ago. According to the tour, Sapporo Classic Beer is made with hops and brewed like all beers are usually brewed. The results taste the same as most beers do with slight variations between the quantities of each batch. Supposedly, Sapporo has found that beer magic to make each batch as good as the next. Who cares really, it was obvious people were eager to get to the “tasting room.” Some of the tour was cool, in the beginning Sapporo beer was distributed in wooden kegs and the advertising for the beer was usually some geisha girl drinking Sapporo beer. Also Sapporo beer has had many name changes over the years: Hokkaido Beer, Nippon Beer, etc. A final interesting tidbit is that the Sapporo Company produces Green Tea, Water, Sports drinks, cola, and a lot more. Beer is only what Sapporo is famous for but, the factory produces much more then just beer. They’re latest beer product is “draft one,” it’s supposed to taste like draft beer only it’s in a can. It’s alright, they’ve done pretty good, but nothing really beats draft from a tap.

Knowing that, I was headed to the tasting room. The tasting room looked like an old beer cellar. It was lit with these old lamps and the walls were made of brick. I ordered a draft beer (200 yen) and just sat to enjoy this place. What an experience this place was. If anyone was to visit Sapporo, then I’d recommend the Beer Museum. The tour is about 15 minutes long, it takes about 15 minutes to get there by walking from Sapporo station, and it’s awesome. Admission is free to get in, only the beer tasting costs money.

The rest of the museum is spread out in a big campus with beer gardens and cafés everywhere. The Genghis Khan is nothing more then a grown up barbeque with beer for a lot. That night, June cooked up a big meal for us that resembled the Genghis Khan with draft one beer.

The next day (they day we went fishing) it rained.