SPRING VALLEY BREWERY TOKYO, expanded by the Kirin Group, has reopened with a new look on its 10th year in business. Since its opening in 2015, SPRING VALLEY BREWERY TOKYO has worked to revitalize beer culture with its craft beer as a starting point. What were the company’s objectives with the renovation?

This spring, SPRING VALLEY BREWERY (SVB), a group company of Kirin Holdings Co., Ltd., renovated SPRING VALLEY BREWERY TOKYO (SVB Tokyo), a restaurant with a hands-on brewery installed that offers craft beer under the SPRING VALLEY brand, the operating brand of SVB Tokyo. This is the first major renovation of the brand-run restaurant since its opening in 2015.
SVB Tokyo opened in 2015 as a beer restaurant operated by the craft beer brand SPRING VALLEY, with a built-in hands-on brewery. The restaurant has been providing a “surprising beer experience,” through regularly offering a diverse lineup of craft beer in 7 to 12 varieties including limited-edition beer only available on-site, proposing craft beer pairing based on the unique characteristics of each beer, and holding joint events with other breweries.
As of June 2024, the total number of visitors to SVB restaurants, mainly in Tokyo and Kyoto (opened in 2017), has exceeded two million. Customers who visited the restaurants have been giving favorable feedback. Some enjoyed the wide variety of tastes, or felt the staff’s commitment when learning about the limited-edition beer available only on-site, while others found it intriguing to experience beer pairing with their course meal. The company's president, Aka Imoto, explains the focus of the SVB Tokyo renovation.
“This renovation focused on the classification of target customers on the first and second floors under the concept of ‘ENJOY! CRAFT.’ The first floor offers a place where those who are not familiar with craft beer can casually drop by and experience it, while the second floor is designed to host people who want to fully experience craft beer pairing.”

The restaurant, which opened in 2015, is now in its 10th year of operation. Why did they decide on the renovation at this point?
“I started working here in the spring of 2023. Back then, the restaurant industry had not yet fully recovered from the impact of the pandemic. As I observed our customers visiting the restaurant, I noticed that their lifestyles had changed drastically, affecting the way they enjoyed dining out. Before the pandemic, people came to the restaurant in large groups and enjoyed drinking together. But recently, a growing number of customers have been coming here for drinks in small groups of two or three. In many cases, they are not related through their work, but are near and dear to each other personally, such as friends and acquaintances. That made me realize that we would also need to renovate the restaurant to adjust to such changes. As a result, the renovation seems to have brought in a variety of new clientele.”
Today, the number of craft breweries in Japan, especially of community-based breweries taking advantage of local pandemic subsidies, is on the rise. This is partly due to the change in the way consumers choose their beer. They used to buy popular beer out of habit, but are now choosing beer that suits their taste and preferences. In other words, such changes on the consumer side have made a good match with the unique and diverse nature of craft beer. Imoto continues,
“Craft beer is characterized not by large sales expansion, but by its rarity of being available only on-site. People enjoy craft beer locally for its community-based characteristics and commitment by its brewers. In fact, the number of unique and diverse craft breweries is growing.”
SVB Tokyo, a flagship restaurant of the SPRING VALLEY brand that continues to communicate the appeal of craft beer, is also a frontline base for Kirin's craft beer business.
“We would like to offer beer that helps people discover its appeal and change their concept and view of beer, instead of offering beer that is available everywhere. We believe that craft beer has a role in leading people to discover the new appeal of beer.”

On the other hand, many consumers have just not had a chance to try craft beer, even though they may be interested in it. This is typically due to various reasons such as they cannot imagine the taste, or have no clue which beer to choose. Therefore, SVB Tokyo has taken advantage of its unique business style of having a brewery pre-installed, and placed the focus of its renovation on providing a place for customers who are unfamiliar with craft beer to casually experience and enjoy it without feeling intimidated. Going forward, the staff wishes to communicate the appeal of craft beer through various ways, such as offering a modernized space and events, presenting enhanced service by offering music and art, and involving customers in fun conversations with staff.
“We also have repeat customers who love craft beer, so we would like to make the restaurant a place to get to know such people.”

On the second floor, customers can enjoy a variety of craft beer types with their course meal in a relaxing space with an extraordinary atmosphere. Specifically, the space has a newly built counter dedicated to those who enjoy course meals paired with a variety of beer, which is still rare in Japan. Here, staff members certified as beer coordinators serve their guests, taking their time over approximately two hours.

SVB Tokyo's strength lies in its initiatives to produce challenging beer that is unique to the craft beer industry, taking advantage of its brewery installed on-site. The restaurant also aims to provide its customers with a chance to create a circle of finding craft beer tasty and enjoyable through the “surprising beer experience” at the restaurant, and further feeling enjoyment from drinking craft beer daily at home and other places. In fact, the SPRING VALLEY brand that Kirin is expanding nationwide is based on learning at SVB restaurants, including knowledge about beer brewing, sales trends, and customer feedback. Hiroki Shimizu, the company's manager in charge of restaurant development says,
“As we strive to lead SVB Tokyo to become Japan’s best restaurant with an accompanying craft beer brewery, we would like our customers to bring back home their experience of enjoying craft beer gained through our hospitality and service. We will continue to work on the creation of a new beer culture from our restaurant service as well.”
Imoto also wishes to further promote beer culture among the younger generation, against the background of the declining birthrate.
“I hope our customers will continue to enjoy beer even more, inspired by the appeal of craft beer. I hear that young people seldom drink alcohol these days, but we would like to continue communicating the appeal of craft beer by creating various opportunities for them, such as offering enhanced service through the addition of music and art. We would like to continue with our initiatives to evolve the ‘surprising beer experience’ through the concerted efforts of SVB restaurants and the SPRING VALLEY brand as two wheels moving forward in order to revitalize Japan’s craft beer market itself. We are looking forward to your visit to our SVB restaurants in Tokyo and Kyoto.”