What other travelers are saying about Handa Red Brick Building
A old beer factory converted to a museum / event space.
Staffs are friendly and some speak prefect English. The exhibit are all in Japanese; except for the Headers/titles for some reason.
The space includes a shop and cafe. Things are a bit on the pricy side, but you are partly paying for the environment as well.
Definitely a place to stop by when visiting Handa City! Not a large area but a place to chill and drink beer. They don't serve much food here, just enough for a snack or food to fill you (for those food enthusiast 😅 ps. a bit pricey😢). A historical place where you can buy souvenirs too!
Attractive half-timbered red-brick building housing a museum, small café, and souvenir shop. They sell their own beer, but I think it's overpriced at ¥700 per bottle.
We didn't go into the museum on this occasion as we had been before.
半田赤レンガ建物 (Handa Red Brick Building): a neat historical landmark in Handa City, Aichi. It’s nothing when compared to the one in Yokohama, but it’s very spacious, has a nice cafe and small exhibition space where you can learn about the history of beer in Japan, before Sapporo and Asahi. ¥200 admission fee for exhibition area; photos are unfortunately prohibited. About a 15-min walk from the JR Handa station.
The building was constructed in 1898 as a brewery for Kabuto Beer, one of Japan's pioneering beer producers during the Meiji era. Designed by renowned architect Yorinaka Tsumaki, it operated as a successful brewery until 1943, even winning a gold medal at the 1900 Paris Expo. After the brewery closed, it served various industrial purposes including a clothing warehouse during World War II and a corn starch factory until 1994.
Yes, the historic Kabuto Beer brand has been revived and is available at the on-site Cafe and Beer Hall Re-BRICK. You can enjoy draft versions in two styles: a light Taisho-style lager and a darker Meiji-style ale, both brewed with ingredients from the Chita Peninsula. Bottled versions are also sold in the shop, though they are produced in extremely limited quantities of only 3,000 bottles per run and sell out quickly, earning them the nickname "Ghost Beer."
The north wall of the building still bears machine gun bullet holes from P-51 fighter plane attacks during World War II air raids. These scars have been deliberately preserved as part of the building's historical narrative, serving as a powerful reminder of the structure's survival through Japan's turbulent 20th century. The building was used as a warehouse for Nakajima Aircraft Company during the war years.
The building is located approximately 40 kilometers south of Nagoya city center in Handa City. Take the Meitetsu Kowa Line from Nagoya Station to Sumiyoshicho Station, which takes about 30 minutes. From there, it's just a 5-minute walk to the building. The location makes it easy to combine with other Handa attractions like the Mizkan Museum and historic brewing storehouses along the canal.
Admission fees apply if you want to visit the interior exhibition spaces that showcase the history of the building and Kabuto Beer through displays, models, and videos. However, you can visit the on-site cafe, beer hall, shop, and outdoor lawn areas for free without purchasing an exhibition ticket. This allows you to enjoy the architecture, sample the beer, and purchase local products even if you're not interested in the museum exhibits.
