Former Brewing Research Institute First Factory

The Birthplace of Modern Japanese Sake: The Former Brewing Experiment Station No. 1 Factory in Tokyo

Tucked behind a quiet park in Tokyo's Kita Ward stands a striking red-brick building that played an outsized role in shaping modern Japanese sake. Known by its nickname "Akarenga Sake Brewery" (the Red Brick Sake Brewery), the Former Brewing Experiment Station No. 1 Factory is where Meiji-era engineers, scientists, and master brewers transformed an ancient art into a precise science. Designated a Nationally Important Cultural Property in 2014, this building is a rare and beautifully preserved example of European industrial architecture adapted for an entirely Japanese craft.

A National Mission Born in the Meiji Era

In May 1904, the Ministry of Finance established the Brewing Experiment Station (Jozo Shikenjo) on a parcel of land in Takinogawa, Kita Ward. The site had once held a cannon foundry from the final years of the Tokugawa shogunate, and was chosen for its excellent water and proximity to Oji Station. The station's mission was ambitious: to scientifically study sake brewing, improve the quality of Japanese rice wine, and train the next generation of brewers.

This was the only national research institution in Japan dedicated to fermentation. For more than a century, it served as a place of pilgrimage for aspiring brewers from every corner of the country. Many of the great innovations in modern sake production—from yeast cultivation to temperature-controlled fermentation—trace their origins to research conducted in these halls. The renowned sake yeast pioneer Yabe Kikuji, whose bronze bust still stands on the grounds, did much of his groundbreaking work here.

Why It Was Designated an Important Cultural Property

The factory was designated a Nationally Important Cultural Property on December 10, 2014, in recognition of three intertwined values:

• Architectural importance as a large-scale brick complex employing the most advanced construction techniques of its day, including hollow cavity walls for insulation, vault ceilings, and brick-arched fireproof floors set on iron beams.
• Industrial heritage value as the only national research facility devoted to brewing, contributing directly to the modernization of Japanese sake.
• Cultural and historical significance as a symbol of Japan's Meiji-era drive to merge Western engineering with traditional craft, a fusion that defines so much of the country's modern industrial heritage.

The building stands today as a tangible testament to that pivotal moment when Japan's brewing industry stepped into the modern world.

Architectural Highlights to Look For

The factory was designed and supervised by Tsumaki Yorinaka, an engineer for the Ministry of Finance and one of the three great architects of the Meiji period. Tsumaki had studied in Germany, and he openly modelled his design on the breweries he had seen there—particularly Germany's famous beer halls. The result is a building that feels at once unmistakably European and quietly Japanese in its precision and restraint.

How to Visit

The factory is owned by the national government and managed by the Japan Brewing Association. It is not regularly open to the general public, but there are several ways to experience the building.

Each year during Tokyo Cultural Heritage Week, typically from late October to early November, the interior is opened to visitors free of charge. This is the best opportunity for individual travellers to walk through the koji room, the boiler room, and the long brick corridors. Group visits of 10 to 25 people may also be arranged in advance through the Japan Brewing Association.

Even outside of public openings, the exterior can be admired at any time from the adjacent Jozo Shikenjo Atochi Park, which sits directly to the north of the factory. The park is a peaceful green space framed by cherry trees in spring, and the brick gateposts at its entrance are themselves part of the original station complex.

Around the Neighborhood

The Takinogawa and Oji area is one of Tokyo's most rewarding districts for visitors interested in history. A short walk from the factory takes you to Asukayama Park, a hilltop garden famed since the Edo period for its cherry blossoms. The park houses three small museums, including the Kita City Asukayama Museum and the Shibusawa Memorial Museum, which honors the industrialist whose company supplied the bricks used in this very factory.

Nearby, the historic Oji Inari Shrine and Oji Shrine offer quiet places to rest, while the Otonashi River Park provides a scenic riverside walk through Otonashi Bridge. For sake enthusiasts, several of the area's tourism initiatives now combine factory tours with tastings of "Hiei," a premium sake brewed using yeast cultivated in the Oji area itself.