International Railroad Discussion > Sapporo Beer Garden Station (Japan)

Imagine if you will, a Coors Beer Station in Colorado, a Budweiser Beer Station in Missouri, or a Miller Beer Station in Wisconsin...

There IS a Sapporo Beer Teien (Garden) Station in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan.

After arriving in Sapporo on the Hokutosei Sleeper Limited Express Monday morning, I paid a visit to the Sapporo Beer Teien Station to do a little foaming. The station opened for service relatively recently in 1990 for use by the employees of Sapporo Beer Company, where the factory is a walking distance away. It is rather spartan, and has no station agent, definitely not tourist-oriented.

FYI, the Sapporo Beer Museum is located much closer to downtown Sapporo.

My goal was to foam the fastest train sets in the JR Hokkaido system, the "Furico" DMUs used in limited express service, capable of 130 km/h (81 mph). Translation of "furico" is pendulum, and as the name implies, Furico DMUs employ tilt technology. Sapporo Beer Teien Station was ideal for this, since none of the limited express trains stopped there.

First clip of the video shows a northbound Furico DMU at Eniwa Station, where I was making a transfer from an Airport Rapid train to a local train. Eniwa is the next stop after Sapporo Beer Teien, if you are travelling towards Sapporo to the north.

Second clip is at Sapporo Beer Teien Station, where I caught a southbound Furico DMU. The train waiting to be passed on the background is the local train I took from Eniwa.

Third clip shows an Airport Rapid train heading towards Chitose Airport, the major airport serving Sapporo area.

The local train I rode finally departs in the fourth clip. I hopped on the local train going the other direction about a minute later to head back to Sapporo to look for a place to eat lunch.

- New Ginormous JR Sapporo Station. This was not here a decade ago when I last visited.
- "Furico" 283 series DMU parked in Sapporo Station.
- Video clips as described above.

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JR Sapporo Station is a hub of many activities. There is a huge underground shopping mall connected to the station, and many major businesses are nearby, including countless restaurants to choose from.

- Sapporo Beer Teien Station sign.
- Golden Arches in the underground shopping mall. (No, I didn't eat here, no miso ramen in the menu)
- Local media personality reviewing his script before the camera starts rolling. The lady in the foreground is holding up a sign, "live broadcast in progress."

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- Another angle of the lady holding up the sign, plus the crowd of people watching.
- Another media crew conducting "guerilla interviews" nearby. This younger crew was fast moving, so I couldn't get a clean shot. Here, the lady media personality is going after an unsuspecting pedestrian.
- Besides fresh seafood and miso ramen, Hokkaido is known for dairy products. It's a tradition for me to eat local-made ice cream whenever I visit. While Sapporo Beer might be the best selling Asian beer in North America, "Asahi Dry" has been #1 in Japan, which is what I had onboard the Cassiopeia.

That's all from Sapporo and Hokkaido.

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Most sports arenas and stadiums are entitled by advertisers. Some have had multiple names as airlines or banks merge. So why not stations? Could this possibly be a new much needed revenue source for Amtrak? I know from my advertising experience, name entitlements don't come cheap. Next stop..."Chase Bank Station, New York."

andersonb109 Wrote:
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> Most sports arenas and stadiums are entitled by
> advertisers. Some have had multiple names as
> airlines or banks merge. So why not stations?
> Could this possibly be a new much needed revenue
> source for Amtrak? I know from my advertising
> experience, name entitlements don't come cheap.
> Next stop..."Chase Bank Station, New York."

Actually, we were late to the game of naming sports teams and stadiums after advertisers. Two major league baseball teams in Tokyo are named Yomiuri Giants and Seibu Lions. Yomiuri = newspaper, and Seibu = huge megacorporation, which also happen to run a railroad in western Tokyo area. They've been named as such, way before our sports stadiums and college bowl games got bastardized with advertisement.

I don't foresee Amtrak naming their stations after advertisers anytime soon. We don't take train travel seriously enough, and besides, what's in it for television and mass media? (nada)

How about "Penn Station, brought to you by J.P.Morgan - Chase" or "Chicago-Oscar Meyer Weiner Union Station"?

Fritz in HSV, AL

cchan006 Wrote:
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> While Sapporo Beer might be the best selling Asian
> beer in North America, "Asahi Dry" has been #1 in
> Japan, which is what I had onboard the
> Cassiopeia.

I first had "Asahi Dry" on a business trip to Japan. It has been hard to find here in the states. Easier on the West Coast (Pacific Rim), but nearly impossible here on the East Coast. Sapporo is a bit easier to find. The Publix grocery chain usually has it, but I'm with you and the rest of Japan in preferring "Asahi Dry." I'll buy it any time I see it, even if it means passing over other favorites.

Thanks for sharing your photos and video!

Arved Grass
Fleming Island, FL