Factory tour and social studies field trips fun for both children and adults!

This factory tour is perfect for beer-loving adults, where you can fully experience the commitment to and deliciousness of Kirin Ichiban Shibori Draft Beer. Visitors can utilize all five senses to experience the delicious taste of Kirin Ichiban Shibori Draft Beer, including taste tests of first-pull wort and second-pull wort. At the final tasting on the tour, one of the brewery's draft masters (staff members who have acquired the knowledge and skill to serve delicious draft beer) will pour you a glass of Ichiban Shibori while paying careful attention to the freshness of the beer, the conditions of the beer tap, the glass, and even the way the beer is poured. In addition, at Ichiban Shibori Deliciousness Seminars, you can also try out tasting methods to enjoy the beer's deliciousness via three types of Ichiban Shibori beer.

*Children can also be brought on this tour. Soft drinks and non-alcoholic beer-flavored drinks are available for individuals under 20 years of age and for individuals who cannot drink alcohol.

There is also a restaurant inspired by a southern German farm and a shop with a wide selection of factory-only items, so we recommend visiting with enough time for either lunch or dinner.

At the Spicy Mentaiko Dojo, after learning about the roots and history of spicy mentaiko (traditional Japanese salted and spiced cod roe), you can try your hand at making your own, original mentaiko! You will mix together raw egg, karashi red chili pepper, and seasonings to form a marinade for the cod roe, which you take home and leave in the refrigerator for about five days to marinate and age, after which you can enjoy delicious spicy mentaiko. All the necessary tools are provided, so feel free to participate! 

Inside the facility, there is also a restaurant where you can enjoy Hakata's local cuisine and a shop with more than 300 carefully selected specialties and delicacies from around the Kyushu region, which makes this a place where you can enjoy seeing, eating, and creating something delicious!

Ichiran's manufacturing base, Ichiran-no-Mori Itoshima, is located on the Itoshima Peninsula in western Fukuoka Prefecture, and covers an area of approx. 92,000 m2, or about twice the size of the Tokyo Dome stadium. By visiting here you can see a special part of the noodle-making process that normally isn't shown. There is also a museum with displays on ramen-making tools and Ichiran Ramen's history, as well as a store where you can enjoy natural tonkatsu ramen.
Taste and flavor research is constantly being conducted here, and everything -- from production to in-store service -- is done by the company. To ensure that its manufacturing technologies aren't leaked or stolen, entry into the facility is strictly limited to only those individuals who are involved in manufacturing, and, even with the same manufacturing facility, access to each department's manufacturing areas is restricted.
Ingredients produced at the manufacturing bases in the Kanto region are also sent to Ichiran-no-Mori Itoshima once a week, where they are checked to ensure that the taste and flavor remain consistent.

From its founding to the present, this museum is divided into three main areas to introduce the history of the TOTO company, the passion for manufacturing that it inherited, and its business development around the world, and the exhibits showcase valuable items and materials.
The first exhibition room displays the roots and history of TOTO's founding, as well as the tableware goods that supported TOTO for approx. 50 years since its founding. On top of this, through videos and other displays you can learn about the flow of the company's products, from development to manufacturing.
The second exhibition room introduces the history and culture related to water-related spaces such as the toilet, kitchen, and bathroom that TOTO has created over the years, as well as the thoughts of the people who created this foundation.
Finally, in the third exhibition room, you can find displays of products that are sold around the world, grouped into products sold in the Americas, in China, in Asia/Oceania, and in Europe.
The store also has original TOTO Museum goods that are available for purchase.

This tour of the Shabondama Soap factory allows you to experience their commitment to making additive-free soap.
Through videos and experiments, you will have fun learning about the ingredients, manufacturing methods, and features of Shabondama soap, as well as the impact that household wastewater has on the environment. You can also see the actual soap manufacturing process and experience the sounds and smells.
As a special benefit only available to those who go on the factory tour, you will also have the chance to purchase exclusive mail-order products and original factory tour products at great prices.

This Nissan plant began producing engines in 1975 as the first automobile production plant in Kyushu, and is currently the Nissan plant with the largest production capacity.
On the tour you'll take a bus to the plant area and walk through a dedicated 1.3 km long passageway to observe in order the processes by which a car is completed: "vehicle body assembly" involves automated robots welding panel parts and assembly the body; "assembly" involves attaching parts such as tires, seats, and steering wheels to the body; and "completion inspection" involves quality checks such as running tests and inspections using various measurement instruments.

This tour takes you inside a fermented vinegar brewery that has been in operation for 300 years, since Japan's Edo period (1603-1867).
While listening to explanations from the craftspeople and staff, you can also observe how the vinegar is brewed and the bacteria that are used to make it. At the shop, you can sample the vinegar and also learn simple recipes that use vinegar. In addition to the approx. 4,000-liter vat and a traditional large jar of black vinegar, during the brewing preparation periof you may also be able to see how the brewing work is conducted. Finally, don't miss out on taking photos in front of the 280-year old main building!
You can also have a lunch course using vinegar at the restaurant on the second floor of the company's Okawa headquarters.

The "Hiyoko" sweets are a famous confectionary from Fukuoka Prefecture, and the Honami factory is where they were born. Guided by staff, you'll see the history of Hiyoko sweets and the manufacturing process while at the same time being entranced by the sweet aroma from the observation passage. At the end of the tour, you can also sample freshly made Hiyoko sweets! The factory also has a shop that is modeled after the main store in Iizuka during the early Showa era (1926-1989), so be sure to look for souvenirs after your tour.

These factory tours don't just let you see the production process, but bring visitors in to enjoy tasting, sampling, and experiencing so that even adults will find themselves caught up in child-like wonder. Come and go on a factory tour that is fun and educational for both children and adults!

*The information in this article is as of February 2024.