The Sapporo Factory complex occupies the original site of the 1876 Sapporo Beer brewery — the red-brick buildings where Sapporo Beer was first produced, now converted into a shopping and entertainment complex with a large glass atrium added across the middle. The original brewery buildings are the reason to come: Victorian industrial brick on a generous scale, with the scale and confidence that Meiji-era construction often had when it was trying to make a statement about modern Japan. The atrium hall under the glass dome is used for concerts, seasonal markets, and events throughout the year.
The complex anchors the Kita-Issho district east of Sapporo Station and is less crowded than the downtown malls. The original brick buildings house restaurants and shops; the newer sections are standard mall fare but the old sections retain the high ceilings and heavy masonry of an industrial building built to last. The Sapporo Beer Museum, which covers the brewery's history, is nearby on the same site — the two are usually visited together, though they are managed separately.