Suntory has renewed the factory tour at the Suntory Tokyo-Musashino (3-1 Yazaki-cho, Fuchu City, Tokyo), located in Fuchu City, Tokyo, and will open it to the public from April 10. Prior to this, the tour was opened to the press on March 21.
The plant, which is also known for its appearance in the lyrics of Yumi Matsutoya’s song “Chuo Freeway,” was built by Suntory when it entered the beer market in 1963, and is the starting point of the company’s beer business.
According to factory manager Yusuke Umezawa, a “mini-brewery” one-twentieth the size of the regular facility was established in 1989, and is also the research and development base for the creation of signature products such as Kinmugi, Perfect Suntory Beer, and Suntory Draft Beer, as well as The Premium Maltz (Premolu).
In the factory, samples are taken from each production process, and products are checked in detail with all five senses on each production day, always with the pursuit of deliciousness and quality improvement in mind.
This renewal has been arranged to convey the passion of the brewers working at the factory, so that visitors can experience the value of the beer produced by the company.
According to Shohei Nakamura, Manager of the Premium Strategy Department of the Beer Company, the satisfaction rate was high at 97% in the previous tours, but it was found that in addition to the “commitment to natural water” that has been promoted so far, people who perceived the “passion of the brewers” were more likely to enjoy the taste of Premol. In addition to the “commitment to natural water” that has been promoted up until now, the company found that people who perceived the “passion of the brewers” enjoyed the taste of Premol more, and decided to implement this renewal in order to embody this.
Mr. Kurokawa introduced the four points of renewal, saying, “The combination of taste quality, drinking quality, and experience quality is what makes people become fans of our products.
In the visual theater before the tour, a video titled “The Challenge of the Creator Movie” introduces the philosophy of monozukuri based on the “Try it and see” spirit that has been with the company since its founding.
After watching the video, the tour proceeds to the brewing, fermentation, storage, and filtration stages of the production process, and then a binocular VR device allows visitors to view the quality checks conducted in the sensory testing room, which is not normally accessible.
The tour continues with a tour of the packaging process, followed by a tasting in the guest hall, which is named “Tsukurite Road,” where panels of the factory’s craftsmen appear and introduce their specialties.
At the last tasting area, there will be “Shin-Awa Art,” where you can draw art on the beer foam, and “Shin-Awa Self-Serve,” where you can experience pouring the beer yourself. The tasting experience time has been extended from 20 minutes to 30 minutes so that you can take your time and enjoy the appeal of Premolu.
The previous tour lasted 50 minutes (30 minutes for tour and 20 minutes for tasting), but the new tour will last 90 minutes (60 minutes for tour and 30 minutes for tasting). The new tour is 90 minutes longer (60 minutes for the tour and 30 minutes for the tasting). The fee of 1,000 yen has been set to reflect the enhanced content, but visitors can enjoy up to three glasses of Premol, including The Premium Maltz, Japanese Ale, and Master’s Dream.
There will be six sessions per day, with a maximum capacity of 25 people per session. Online reservations will be accepted starting at 9:30 a.m. on March 25. A free shuttle bus will also be available from the Kabukawara Station to coincide with the tours.
© Source travel watch