Tour the Here and Now of Japanese Fermented Foods: Sake, Wine, Beer, Cheese, and More!

Okayama Prefecture’s Maniwa City sits in the Hiruzen Highlands, an area of lush nature on the border with Tottori Prefecture. Maniwa’s cold winters and clean rivers, fed by snowmelt from its deep snows, are a boon to fermentation. Consequently, Maniwa boasts a broad array of fermented foods, including both traditional Japanese products, like sake and miso, and Western foods, like beer and cheese.

Meet the Maniwa Haccos

The members of Maniwa Haccos produce a wide array of Japanese and Western fermented foods.

At the heart of this rich food culture is a group of companies called the Maniwa Haccos, a name inspired by the Japanese word for fermentation: “hakko.” The group comprises Tsuji Honten and Ochi Brewery, brewers of Japanese sake; and Kono Vinegar Miso Manufacturing Factory, a brewer of miso, soy sauce, and vinegar. Haccos companies that ferment Western foods are the Hiruzen Winery, which makes wine from local wild-vine grapes; the cheesemakers IL RICOTTARO and Hiruzen Latte Bambino; and the craft brewery Mimasaka Beer Works.

A lineup of craft beers from Mimasaka Beer Works

The members of Maniwa Haccos warmly welcome visitors, and the following guided tours offer a great way to explore Maniwa’s numerous culinary delights as well as the expansive natural beauty of the Hiruzen Highlands.

See Maniwa by Bicycle

Cycling is an excellent way to see the historic Katsuyama Townscape Preservation District.

Enjoy Maniwa’s delicious foods guilt-free by joining a five-hour cycling tour. You will ride an e-bike through the historic Katsuyama Townscape Preservation District, known for its attractive noren (fabric dividers often hung in doorways), then cruise alongside the scenic Asahi River before stopping at the Hinoki Plant Dyeing Studio Gallery to learn about the traditional methods of dyeing noren.

A staff member at the brewery displays the rice (on its stalk) used to make their sake.

The tour continues at Gozenshu Brewery (Tsuji Honten), where sake tasting is followed by a delicious lunch made from local ingredients. After some free time for shopping, you will head over to the old Kuse district to tour Kono Brewery (Kono Vinegar Miso Manufacturing Factory), which has been using traditional methods to craft vinegar, soy sauce, and miso since 1888.

Get the Complete Maniwa Experience

Many historic buildings in Katsuyama feature handcrafted noren (fabric dividers).

For those who prefer seeing the Katsuyama townscape by foot, another tour replaces cycling with a guided walk and then a self-directed stroll along the cobblestone streets of the historic Katsuyama district. This ensures ample time to enjoy sake and lunch at Gozenshu Brewery. Later in the afternoon, charter transportation will take guests to Kono Brewery.

Fans of fondue and wine have the opportunity to enjoy a scenic escape into the countryside of the Hiruzen Highlands. The first destination is Hiruzen Herb Garden Herbill, a sprawling three-hectare site with herb gardens and lavender fields set against Hiruzen’s mountain backdrop.

The Jersey cows reared in Hiruzen provide milk for local cheeses.

Lunch is a gourmet fondue course at Hiruzen Jersey Land with its pleasant bucolic scene of grazing cows, followed by a visit to Hiruzen Winery to sample their unique mountain-grape wine paired with IL RICOTTARO’s cheese. Wrapping up the trip is a visit to GREENable HIRUZEN, with its eye-catching architecture designed by Kengo Kuma and its dedication to sustainability.

Get your Fill of Both Japanese and Western Fermented Foods with an Overnight Tour

An overnight stay offers the chance to savor even more of Maniwa’s fermented foods.

For those who would like to enjoy both traditional Japanese and Western fermented foods, there is a tour that essentially combines the two one-day tours described above and adds an overnight stay during which guests can experience the hospitality at either Shinjomura Sugai residence or Yubara Onsen.

Wine and cheese pairings at Hiruzen Winery

The first day covers historic Katsuyama, complete with its sake brewery and indigo-dyeing studio, while the second day features a guided tour of GREENable HIRUZEN. After that, you will head over to Hiruzen Winery for a vineyard tour, followed by wine and cheese tasting. With this tour, participants will gain broader and deeper insight into Maniwa’s fermentation culture.

There’s More to Maniwa Than Delicious Food

Beyond its delectable fermented food, Maniwa offers numerous activities and experiences. GREENable HIRUZEN promotes sustainable living and environmental consciousness, and it provides the chance to connect with nature through its exhibitions and activities, such as crafting, walking, and cycling.

Uniquely located at the base of Yubara Dam, Sunayu is an open-air hot spring (free entry) that can be enjoyed in any season. And for those staying overnight, the clear skies and lack of light pollution in the Hiruzen Highlands make it a great place for star gazing.

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Fermented in Maniwa tours

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  About the author

  

  Author : Noam Katz

  A chance backpacking trip as a university student led Noam to develop a lifelong interest in Japan. Even after living in and traveling around all of Japan's 47 prefectures, he still wants to explore more of the country.