Craft Beer Tourism in Tokyo: Odakyu Line and Goto Brewery

The Odakyu Line—a private railway connecting Tokyo's Shinjuku Station to Odawara Station near the western edge of Kanagawa Prefecture—is an extensive route spanning over 50 miles (80 km) with a total of 47 stations. To put its impressive distance into perspective, the Keio Line (which also starts at Shinjuku) runs about 28 miles (45 km) to Takaosanguchi Station, and the Sobu Line (connecting Tokyo and Chiba) spans about 25 miles (40 km) from Mitaka Station to Nishi-Funabashi Station. Realizing that the Odakyu Line covers roughly double those distances gives you a renewed sense of its sheer scale.

Located right around the middle of northern Setagaya Ward, through which the Odakyu Line traverses, is Kyodo Station. Given the many types of train services on the Odakyu Line, this is a relatively large station where all trains except the Rapid Express make a stop. While the station's South Exit is famous for Tokyo University of Agriculture and the bustling Nodai-dori Street that leads to it, this time I got off at the North Exit. Upon exiting, you'll see a shopping complex called Kyodo Corty on your left. Passing beside it leads to an area dense with small shops running along the train tracks. Just around the first corner, I visited Goto Brewery.

Goto Brewery
Address: 2-14-3 Kyodo, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo

The layout of the establishment is split almost half-and-half between the brewpub area and the brewing facility. On the right side is the brewing equipment (which was hidden from outside view by a traditional noren curtain on the day of my visit), while the brewpub area on the left features large glass sliding doors across a wide storefront, allowing a clear look inside.

The seating is primarily counter-style. There is a counter along the left wall, an island-style counter in the center, and a counter on the right side that offers a view of the brewing equipment through a glass window. Without hesitation, I took a seat at the counter on the right.

According to Goto Brewery's website, the head brewer is a graduate of the Tokyo University of Agriculture. It set my imagination wandering, wondering if they had studied things like yeast science to research how to brew scientifically delicious beer. On this day, I ordered the Kyodo Ale—an American Pale Ale named after the local neighborhood—along with a side of French fries.

The establishment operates on a cash-on-delivery system, where you pay at the register upfront. Although the counter layout suggests a casual drinking spot, the food menu felt quite substantial.

My visit was on a Friday, and I noticed that many of the customers, including myself, were solo patrons who dropped in quickly, had a swift drink, and headed out. Since the brewery is located right at the gateway where the station area transitions into a residential neighborhood, it perfectly satisfies the desire for a quick, casual drink on the way home. (As a side note, the lively chatter of the staff kept the indoor atmosphere cheerful throughout my stay.)

Craft Beer Tourism in Setagaya Ward, Tokyo

Just a 3-minute walk from Goto Brewery, also near the North Exit of Kyodo Station, is Akatsuki Brewery Tokyo Lab. It operates only on Saturdays and Sundays, so I couldn't visit on this Friday, but having been here since 2016, it is Kyodo’s very first brewery and can well be called an established pioneer in the area.

Furthermore, traveling down the Odakyu Line:

• Soshigaya Beer Kobo: Located just two stops away at Soshigaya-Okura Station, situated right under the elevated train tracks.
• Kanon Brewing: Located about a 12-minute walk from Shimokitazawa Station, which is four stops back toward Shinjuku.