About the Former Sapporo Beer Kyushu Factory Warehouse
The Former Sapporo Beer Kyushu Factory Warehouse (旧サッポロビール九州工場倉庫, Kyū Sapporo Bīru Kyūshū Kōjō Sōko) is a two-storey brick warehouse built in 1913 in Dairihonmachi, Moji Ward, Kitakyushu City, and entered on Japan's register of Registered Tangible Cultural Properties on July 31, 2007. It went up in the same year as the Teikoku Beer brewery, and the Moji Red Brick Club now runs it as a hire venue called the Red Brick Exchange Hall (赤煉瓦交流館, Aka-renga Kōryūkan).
The warehouse stands across the road to the west of the office building, the only one of the four registered buildings on that side. It measures 33 m by 29 m, with a building area of 1050 m².
Twin Gables and a Queen-Post Roof
The Former Sapporo Beer Kyushu Factory Warehouse is in effect two gable-roofed warehouses with sheet-metal roofs, set side by side and joined. From the road you see two identical triangular gable ends standing next to each other. Kitakyushu City notes that apart from the party wall between the two halves there are no partitions, and that the party wall has an opening in its centre.
Each gable end has a doorway, with a round window placed above it. The city also records decorative bargeboards on the gables. Outside, the walls are a red brick facing, but slag brick is used on the inside, the same red-over-slag construction found in the brewery building.
The roof is carried on timber queen-post trusses. With two vertical posts taking the load in each truss, the frame spans a wide floor with very few columns. The open interior built for storage is the same space that now serves as a hall.
Why the Warehouse Was Registered
The Former Sapporo Beer Kyushu Factory Warehouse was registered as a structure that would be difficult to reproduce. The other three buildings, registered the same day, were listed for their contribution to the historic landscape, so the warehouse is the only one of the four registered under a different criterion. In its description, the Agency for Cultural Affairs points to the queen-post roof that creates the large storage space.
The sources disagree on its form. The Agency and Kitakyushu City describe it as a 2-storey brick building, while the Moji Red Brick Club calls it a single-storey building of red and slag brick with a building area of 950 m². This article follows the Agency: 2 storeys and a building area of 1050 m².
Visiting and Using the Warehouse
The Former Sapporo Beer Kyushu Factory Warehouse is now the Red Brick Exchange Hall, a venue for hire run by the Moji Red Brick Club. It opened on December 26, 2005 and contains the Red Brick Hall and two meeting rooms, A and B. The club gives the opening hours as 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., closed on Mondays (or the following day when Monday is a public holiday) and between December 29 and January 3 (checked October 2026).
Because it is a hall for hire rather than an exhibition space, there is no guarantee of walking in to look around. The surest way to see the queen-post roof inside the Former Sapporo Beer Kyushu Factory Warehouse is to attend an event held there. Commercial photo shoots inside require advance booking and a fee of 5,000 yen per day.
The exterior can be seen from the road. Cross over from the office building and the two gable ends face you directly, with the round windows and bargeboard decoration easy to pick out.
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Q&A
- Can I go inside the Former Sapporo Beer Kyushu Factory Warehouse?
- It is a hire venue, the Red Brick Exchange Hall, open 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and closed on Mondays (or the next day after a Monday holiday) and over the New Year. It is not an exhibition space, so visiting during an event is the surest option (checked October 2026).
- Is the Former Sapporo Beer Kyushu Factory Warehouse the same as the Red Brick Exchange Hall?
- Yes. The Moji Red Brick Club opened it as the Red Brick Exchange Hall in 2005 and rents out its hall and meeting rooms.
- How is the roof of the Former Sapporo Beer Kyushu Factory Warehouse built?
- Two gable-roofed warehouses with sheet-metal roofs stand side by side, and timber queen-post trusses carry the roofs, leaving a wide space with few columns.
- How big is the Former Sapporo Beer Kyushu Factory Warehouse?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs gives 33 m by 29 m and a building area of 1050 m², as a 2-storey brick building.
- When did the Former Sapporo Beer Kyushu Factory Warehouse become a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- On July 31, 2007, under registration number 40-0049, as a structure that would be difficult to reproduce.
Basic Information
| Name | Former Sapporo Beer Kyushu Factory Warehouse (旧サッポロビール九州工場倉庫; Red Brick Exchange Hall) |
|---|---|
| Location | 3-6-103 Dairihonmachi, Moji Ward, Kitakyushu City, Fukuoka Prefecture, and other lots |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | 2007 (registered) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 1050 m², 33 m by 29 m (brick, 2 storeys, gabled sheet-metal roof) |
| Owner | Moji Red Brick Club (specified non-profit corporation) |
| Public Access | Exterior visible from the road. Interior is a hire venue (10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., closed Mondays) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Former Sapporo Beer Kyushu Factory Warehouse
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00006287
- Cultural Heritage Online: Former Sapporo Beer Kyushu Factory Warehouse
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/143551
- Kitakyushu City: Former Sapporo Beer Kyushu Factory Warehouse (Japanese)
- https://www.city.kitakyushu.lg.jp/contents/02100278.html
- Moji Red Brick Place: Facilities (Japanese)
- https://mojirenga.jp/place.html
- Moji Red Brick Place: About the Moji Red Brick Club (Japanese)
- https://mojirenga.jp/information.html
Last verified: 2026.10.01
