Experience Summer in Tokyo: A Delicious Outdoor Lunch with Beer at the Forest Beer Garden in Meiji Shrine Outer Garden

If you’re planning a trip to Tokyo during the summer, check out the Forest Beer Garden at the Meiji Shrine Outer Garden. You’ll be able to enjoy some delicious beer and barbecue while surrounded by the beautiful greenery of the Jingu forest. It’s a truly unique and memorable dining experience. Remember that this restaurant is only open during the summer months.

Meiji Shrine Outer Garden

I had a great time visiting the Forest Beer Garden on a beautiful day. To get there, I took the Ginza line and got off at Gaienmae station. From there, I walked along the ginkgo trees until I reached the Forest Beer Garden.

The walk along the ginkgo tree-lined roadway was stunning. It only took about 10 minutes to get to the Forest Beer Garden on foot, and along the way, I could take in the beautiful views of the Meiji Shrine Outer Garden.

If you’re using the JR line, you can get off at JR Shinanomachi station on the Sobu line, which is just a 5-minute walk away from the Forest Beer Garden. This is a convenient option for those who prefer to use the JR line for their travels.

Forest Beer Garden

This beer garden is located in the children’s playground called “Nikoniko Park” in the Meiji Shrine Outer Garden and is open only during summer.

As we passed through the gate facing the street, we were pleasantly surprised to find a large waterfall. The park was surrounded by many trees, creating a beautiful and tranquil setting.

This photo shows a waterfall in a children's park called Nikoniko Park, located within the Meiji Shrine Outer Garden. During the summer, a park section is transformed into an outdoor restaurant called Forest Beer Garden. You'll see the waterfall right in front of the restaurant when you enter the restaurant.

The Forest Beer Garden is open on Saturdays and Sundays starting at noon and on weekdays beginning at 5:00 p.m. We could get a table without waiting when we visited around 12:30 on the weekend. If the beer garden is busy, they will notify you on your phone when it’s your turn to be seated.

This photo shows the reception area of Forest Beer Garden. To find it, enter the entrance and walk through the trees to the right until you see a tent with a green roof. Under this tent is the reception desk. Guests with reservations should go to the left, while those without reservations should go to the right.

After walking down a tree-lined path, I arrived at the reception desk under a green tent. The desk on the left was for customers with reservations, and the one on the right was for walk-ins. At the reception desk, customers can choose between “a la carte” or the “all-you-can-drink/all-you-can-eat” option. If you select the “all-inclusive” option, you can enjoy unlimited drinks and food for two hours. This option is self-service, so you’ll need to pour your drinks from a server. We decided to go with the a la carte option.

A La Carte

The a la carte section was decorated with bright red and white parasols to shade the tables. This section was popular with families with children, while the all-inclusive area was filled with groups of young people.

Each table was equipped with a tablet that we used to place our food and drink orders. This tablet made ordering convenient and easy, as we could handle flagging down a busy staff member.

This picture shows a tablet provided at the table. Customers order food and drinks using this tablet.

We could choose lamb, pork, or beef for the main course. There was also a selection of tasty side dishes.

Raw lamb shoulder plate and assorted vegetables

We selected lamb as our main dish. We ordered a plate of raw lamb shoulder and some vegetables to go with it. Grilling the food outdoors was a fun and comfortable experience, making the meal even more delicious.

This photo shows lamb and vegetables cooking in an iron flat pot. The vegetables included in the dish are bean sprouts, carrots, and shishito peppers.

Gizzard

We ordered gizzards as a snack to go with our beer. They had a slightly spicy and refined flavor, and their crunchy texture went well with the beer.

Russian-style garden salad

For the salad, I ordered the Russian-style garden salad. The beets were vibrant red, and the acidic dressing was delicious.

French fries

A large pile of potatoes was served on the plate. The fries were crispy and light and tasted great, even without ketchup.

Avocado & Tomato Salad

The second salad was an avocado and tomato salad. It featured tomatoes and avocado on a white plate and had a bright, colorful appearance. The salad had a refreshing flavor with a hint of sourness.

This photo shows an avocado and tomato salad. The red tomatoes and green avocados are served on a white plate, creating a visually appealing contrast. The colorful vegetables and the plate make for a beautiful salad.

Hokkaido Style Seasoned Lamb and Fried Udon Noodles

We also ordered another lamb dish, called Hokkaido Style Seasoned Lamb and Fried Udon Noodles. It consisted of a plate of lamb, vegetables, and udon noodles.

The staff at the beer garden showed how to cook lamb and vegetables in a Genghis Khan pot, specifically designed for cooking Japanese-style mutton. The pot has a raised, round center resembling a helmet, with a lowered periphery around the edges. The mutton is cooked in the center, and the vegetables are cooked on the lowered periphery. As the lamb cooks, the juices that seep outflow along the grooves and collect on the lowered periphery. The vegetables absorb the flavor of the juices and become even more delicious.

This photo shows beef fat being spread on a Genghis Khan pot. The pot has a raised center resembling a helmet, and the beef fat is pressed onto it using tongs.

To begin, beef fat is placed on the top of the pan.

This photo shows a Genghis Khan pot with lamb being cooked in it. The lamb is grilled in the raised area in the center of the pot.

Once the pot has absorbed the oil, the lamb is cooked on top.

This photo shows vegetables being grilled in a Genghis Khan pot. The vegetables are cooked on the flat part of the pot, located at the edge of the pot.

Vegetables are cooked on the bottom rim of the pan.

This image depicts the cooking of udon noodles in a Genghis Khan pot. The noodles are stir-fried and combined with cooked meat and vegetables to create a delicious meal

Once the lamb and vegetables are cooked, the udon noodles are added to the pot.

This photograph depicts the completed cooking of "Hokkaido Style Seasoned Lamb and Fried Udon Noodles." In the image, the udon noodles are picked up and lifted using tongs.

Draft beer

If you’re a fan of draft beer, you’ll definitely want to check out the Forest Beer Garden. They have a variety of options, thanks to their partnership with KIRIN, a well-known beer company. Don’t miss the chance to try some of their delicious brews!

This photograph depicts a beer garden sign introducing various craft beers. The sign is a blackboard approximately 2 meters in length and width, with an illustration of a beer glass and the logos of eight different craft beers displayed on it.

There were a variety of beers available to choose from, including KIRIN Ichiban Shibori draft, half-and-half, frozen, Budweiser, and eight other craft beers.

Brooklyn Lager

I ordered a craft beer called Brooklyn Lager. It’s made by Brooklyn Brewery, founded in 1988 in Brooklyn, New York. This beer has a hoppy, bitter flavor that goes well with barbecued lamb.

Daydream

I ordered a Daydream beer, a light-colored beer produced by KIRIN. I enjoyed the citrusy sweetness of this gentle beer.

Kirin Ichiban Shibori

I was feeling excellent, so I decided to have another beer. I ordered a medium mug of KIRIN’s Ichiban Shibori. The foam was good, with a slight bitterness and a refreshing taste.

The beer garden, run by KIRIN, a well-known beer company in Japan, offers a variety of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks in addition to beer. If you’re in Tokyo, I recommend visiting the Forest Beer Garden in the Meiji Shrine Outer Garden to enjoy some delicious beer and food.

This image shows the fountain in the Meiji Shrine Outer Garden. In the background, you can see the baseball ground and the Seitoku Memorial Picture Gallery, surrounded by trees. On this beautiful day, the sky is a clear blue with white clouds.

I spent the day relaxing in the sun at Meiji Shrine Outer Garden. Meiji Shrine Outer Garden is a lush green place in the middle of Tokyo. In addition to the Forest Beer Garden, you can enjoy ginkgo trees, a baseball field, a rugby field, and many other things.

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