Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Japan Tokyo The Asahi Flame

The Asahi Flame

This enormous monument is one of the most iconic structures in Tokyo, rudely nicknamed "The Golden Turd."

Tokyo, Japan

Added By
Fred Cherrygarden
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
The Asahi Flame  
The Asahi Flame   Atibordee Kongprepan
The Asahi Flame   Guilhem Vellut
The Asahi headquarters, with the Tokyo Skytree on the left.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
Golden   agresti / Atlas Obscura User
The golden turd   janmeister / Atlas Obscura User
  Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

The Asahi Beer Hall, or Super Dry Hall, is a building adjacent to the headquarters of Asahi Breweries. It's home to a three-story restaurant serving beer straight from the factory.

Designed by French designer Philippe Starck, the building was completed in 1989. Its shape is supposed to resemble a beer glass, while the headquarters building is shaped like a beer-filled mug complete with suds. 

The building is topped with the Asahi Flame, also known as Flamme d’Or. The monument of a golden fire is said to represent the burning heart of Asahi beer and was inspired by the Olympic flame.

Unfortunately, that's not how it looks to most people. Locals and tourists alike are often confused by the monument’s ambiguous shape.  It's now commonly referred to as the "Golden Turd." The building has earned its own nickname as well, "the Poo Building."

Related Tags

Sculptures Beer Factories Olympics

Know Before You Go

The Asahi Beer headquarters is a 3-minute walk from Asakusa Station, on the opposite side of the Sumida River.

Atlas Obscura Adventures

Hidden Japan: Sado Island, Nara & Kyoto

Explore a different side of Japan.

Book Now

Community Contributors

Added By

Fred Cherrygarden

Edited By

Collector of Experiences, jonathancarey, agresti, janmeister...

  • Collector of Experiences
  • jonathancarey
  • agresti
  • janmeister
  • jhweller

Published

February 21, 2020

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
The Asahi Flame
1-23-1 Azumabashi
Sumida City
Tokyo, 130-0001
Japan
35.709801, 139.80028
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Asakusa Underground Street

Tokyo, Japan

miles away

Ubagaike Pond

Tokyo, Japan

miles away

Kototoi Bridge

Tokyo, Japan

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Tokyo

Tokyo

Japan

Places 220
Stories 13

Nearby Places

Asakusa Underground Street

Tokyo, Japan

miles away

Ubagaike Pond

Tokyo, Japan

miles away

Kototoi Bridge

Tokyo, Japan

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Tokyo

Tokyo

Japan

Places 220
Stories 13

Related Stories and Lists

17 Golden Statues You Didn’t Know Existed

List

By Roxanne Hoorn

Related Places

  • Temple 2000

    Manchester, England

    Temple 2000

    A small statue shaped like the grill of a Rolls-Royce marks the suburban location where the company’s first automobiles were manufactured.

  • México - José María Subirach

    Mexico City, Mexico

    Ruta de la Amistad (Friendship Route)

    A series of modernist, abstract sculptures form a route created as part of the 1968 Olympics' Cultural Olympiad.

  • How many pink elephants wearing thick black-framed glasses sipping a martini have you seen?

    Fortville, Indiana

    Martini-Drinking Pink Elephant

    The bespectacled, cocktail-sipping pachyderm is a strange but fitting liquor store mascot.

  • The statue in London for the Olympic games.

    Prague, Czechia

    London Booster

    A bus with a butt and biceps to put Olympic athletes to shame.

  • Elephant Gate

    Copenhagen, Denmark

    Elephant Gate

    Pre-Nazi swastikas adorn the sculpted pachyderms flanking this brewhouse portal.

  • Hellerup, Denmark

    Tuborgflasken

    Danish observation tower designed to look like a giant beer bottle.

  • Hippos and mushrooms on display in Glenrothes.

    Glenrothes, Scotland

    Concrete Hippos of Glenrothes

    This town hosts 170 pieces of public art, including giant irises, flying saucers, and, famously, hippos.

  • Exterior of the historic Dyffryn Arms pub.

    Pembrokeshire, Wales

    Dyffryn Arms

    A historic pub in the front room of a Victorian-era house.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.