Some anniversaries call for a speech; others call for another round. Sapporo Beerfest went with the latter. And surely, there are plenty of reasons to raise a glass of Sapporo—at this year’s Beerfest in Manila, there were at least two big ones: 150 years since Sapporo began brewing in Hokkaido, and 70 years since the Philippines and Japan normalized diplomatic relations, with 2026 being celebrated as the Japan-Philippines Friendship Year.

On September 18 and 19, Yawaragi at Hotel Okura Manila filled up for the third Sapporo Beerfest, with both nights sold out. Sapporo Premium flowed freely, joined by Premium Black and a Sapporo Beerfest Holiday Beer, a 50/50 blend of the two. Premium had the crisp, clean character regular drinkers know; Black brought a deeper, roasted note. The Holiday Beer landed somewhere in between, which was probably the closest thing the evening had to a diplomatic compromise.

There was plenty to eat alongside it. Yawaragi’s acclaimed buffet made a strong companion to the beer. Guests relished the sushi and sashimi, tempura and other agemono, dishes from the teppanyaki and live-cooking stations, grilled specialties in the robatayaki style, and dessert. Music and DJ sets, games, raffle draws, and Sapporo merchandise kept the program lively.

Around the dining space were Japanese diplomats, business and industry figures, members of Manila’s Japanese and expatriate communities, hospitality professionals, Sapporo principals, and Filipino beer enthusiasts. Some knew one another well. Others were meeting for the first time. For all the official significance attached to the evening, it was refreshingly easy to understand what everyone had actually come for: good beer, food, and company.

And Sapporo has an unexpectedly good story to tell over all three.

The young brewer who went to Germany

In 1876, when Sapporo’s brewing story began in Hokkaido, Japan was in the middle of a period of rapid modernization. Brewing was one of the industries looking overseas for expertise, and Seibei Nakagawa was keen to learn the craft.

Only 17 at the time, Nakagawa left Japan when overseas travel was still prohibited. He eventually made his way to Germany to study brewing, returning home as Japan’s first German-trained brewmaster. He went on to help establish what would become Sapporo.

This detail brings an interesting disruption to the typical neatness of an anniversary story. The history of a quintessentially Japanese beer began with a young Japanese man leaving home, learning a foreign craft, bringing that knowledge back—and then making it uniquely Japanese.

The North Star on the Sapporo label has its own Hokkaido history, but Nakagawa’s journey gives the beer an even more noteworthy origin: its story began with someone willing to cross a border to learn. Over a century later, Sapporo has crossed quite a few more, with one those borders leading to Manila

The anniversary you could literally savor

Diplomatic relations tend to arrive in language involving governments, agreements, trade, cooperation, and other things that do not generally come with a buffet.

The lived version is considerably more appetizing.

Over seven decades, the Philippines and Japan have built connections through business, tourism, education, culture, food, and the ordinary relationships that grow from people spending time in one another’s countries. Manila’s Japanese community and its wider expatriate population are part of that ongoing story, as are Filipinos whose lifestyles have brought them to Japan and back. At Sapporo Beerfest, however, nobody needed a primer on any of this.

In his short and sweet welcome remarks, Raymond Joseph, Philippine Wine Merchants’ Director of Sales and Marketing, echoed what was evident across Yawaragi: “Just enjoy the beer, enjoy all that delicious cuisine, but more importantly experience Sapporo and let’s build relationships and have a meaningful night. Kanpai, Sapporo!”

The night did not require anyone to sit through a panel discussion about bilateral relations to appreciate the strong ties between Japan and the Philippines. Easygoing chatter gave way to lively conversations. A familiar face would appear at another table. Someone would recommend a dish or share what their favorite Sapporo variant was. A new acquaintance would become an old acquaintance by the second or third glass.

This is how international relationships acquire their human scale. Countries can have seven decades of diplomatic history between them, but a person remembers the friend they made on a night such as Sapporo Beerfest.

Japan, already part of the Manila landscape

Perhaps that is why the evening felt so natural. Japan no longer needs much introduction in Manila. Its restaurants and brands have become familiar parts of the city, travel between the two countries is routine for many, and Japanese businesses have maintained a longstanding presence here. Alongside them, an established Japanese community has grown and become part of the fabric of Manila itself. For Filipinos, Japan can mean a holiday, a job, a university, a favorite meal, a business connection, a family relationship, or simply a place they keep returning to. For the Japanese community in Manila, the equation runs in the other direction too: home has become a city with its own routines, relationships, favorite places, and familiar faces.

And Sapporo fits perfectly in that landscape: A beer that began in Hokkaido with knowledge brought home from Germany now sits comfortably on Manila tables.

A beer with places to go

Sapporo’s 150^th anniversary might be a measure of time, but the bigger narrative itself is really a measure of movement across cultures. Nakagawa went to Germany and came home with brewing knowledge. Sapporo grew from its Hokkaido beginnings into a Japanese brewing institution, and then traveled far beyond Japan.

Perhaps that is the loveliest thing about a beer with places to go— it keeps making new memories and writing new stories along the way. This particular tale now has a solid Manila chapter.

Kanpai, Sapporo!