Kirin Brewery – Factory Tour
Kirin Brewery is known as one of the leading beer makers in Japan. It is one of the subsidiaries of the Kirin Holdings Company which is an integrated beverages company that engages in the manufacture and sales of not only alcoholic but also non-alcoholic beverages as well as pharmaceutical and bio-chemical products. Kirin operates in eight countries and is a member of the Mitsubishi Group.

Corporate Information
- Company: Kirin Brewery Company, Limited
- Foundation: 1907
- Location: Headquartered in Tokyo
- Main Business: Manufacture and sales of alcohol beverages

Kirin Brewery
Kirin Breweries is one of the leading brewery companies in Japan. Its history dates back to 1885 when its foreign-owned forerunner company called Japan Brewery Company was established in Yokohama in 1885. Three years later, the brewery started selling beer named Kirin Beer. In 1907, the Kirin Brewery Company was established as a separate Japanese legal entity with the financial support from Japanese investors including the president of Mitsubishi at that time.
The company now has nine brewery plants across Japan. Kirin has an unwavering commitment to quality and customer satisfaction. They have established a sophisticated system allowing tracing of their products and ingredients throughout the supply chain, including through the entire production process.
The tour includes a guided walk through the production process from barley-mashing to packaging. The tour also features a video presentation about the company, exhibits of different beer ingredients, and for those thirsty at the end of the visit, finishes with a tasting of their signature beer.

Zurich, Switzerland
It was an inspiring week with great learnings around lean and how it is applied across various levels of the supply chain. The tour also provides a nice glimpse into the Japanese culture with its amazing food and friendly people.
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Manila, Philippines
The tour was highly professional. The food and hotels were excellent, and the best part was the learning experience. We had hands-on exposure to kanban, and seeing Lean and Kaizen in action during the factory visits was extremely informative. The Q&A sessions provided us with deeper insights into the thinking of each management team we…
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Délégation Sfax Ville, Sfax, Tunisia
First of all, I want to express my sincere gratitude for this unforgettable trip. From the beginning, the level of organization and attention to detail was outstanding. The program was well thought out, providing a perfect balance between plant visits, theoretical training, and practical experiences. It’s evident that a lot of thought and effort went…
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Bayan Lepas, Penang, Malaysia
It was an excellent tour – professionally run and well executed. The companies selected implemented lean at a high degree. The passion they exhibited in sharing their lean journey was very inspiring. I have learned new strategies to bring home to implement. A time well spent.
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Taipei, Taiwan
Shinka Management staff were professional from interpretation, to detailed trip arrangements, to leading the factory tour and catalyzing the thinking and discussion.
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Buenos Aires, Argentina
The Lean Japan Tour has allowed me to learn both professionally and culturally. It has been an invaluable experience to learn through interacting directly with a Japanese sensei. It has been a pleasure experiencing this program in Japan, with the locals always helping us as if we were a relative. The Lean Japan tour is…
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The Shinka Management Lean Japan Tour is a professional development program run several times annually. The program includes a mix of lean and kaizen seminars, hands-on lean training and visits to several benchmark lean companies. For further information and program dates, see the lean tour overview page.
Tour Inquiries
Interested in joining us in Japan? For additional information prior to registration please fill in the form provided or contact us.
