The Kyushu Brewery in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka shipped its final beer in February of 2000. A new supply hub for the Kyushu area, the Shinkyushu Brewery, was completed in March of the same year. (It was later renamed to the Kyushu Hita Brewery in 2010.) There was growing interest among the media about where the new brewery would be built. People from throughout the beer industry and residents of Kyushu had their attention on the story. After considering many candidate sites, Hita in Oita Prefecture, known as a beautiful riverside location, was selected. The core concept behind the brewery is coexisting with nature and working in tandem with the local community. This comes out of our gratitude for the rich sources of water and the enthusiasm of the community.

A survey by the Commercial Research Institute found that the Kuro Label “Ping Pong at the Hot Springs” commercial reached #1 in favorability rankings for commercials aired in 2000. This meant it climbed to the top amid 3,000+ commercials. Some commentators even stated that Sapporo had made a name for itself by bringing out a hit campaign every thirty years, following on the heels of the “Men keep quiet and drink Sapporo Beer” ad in 1970. The battle of words between Tsutomu Yamazaki and Etsushi Toyokawa became a sensation, even ushering in a new ping pong boom.