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Learn about Akita Prefecture’s culture of fermented foods through a visit to the Yamamo Miso Soy Sauce Brewery in Yuzawa.
Tohoku Tourism Promotion Organization
Japan’s northern region of Tohoku has a long culinary tradition of producing fermented foods, which were essential for surviving the harsh winters, when heavy snowfall made it very difficult to grow crops. Besides being excellent for preservation, fermentation also enhances the taste and nutritional value of ingredients, and these traditional foods have been gaining popularity outside of Japan as well.
Learn about the secrets of fermentation at the Yamamo Brewery, one of the oldest soy sauce and miso breweries in Akita Prefecture, which has been creating these essential staples since 1867.
Get a tour of the traditional miso and soy sauce brewery, a former warehouse, and the moromi storehouse, which is built with clay. Learn about the flavor profiles and aging process through a tasting session and become a fermented foods pro.
Visitors can also relax at the 100-year-old Suijin Kaiyushiki garden and learn about history (and art) at the I.L.A. Gallery. Sample Yamamo’s miso and soy sauce at the Garden Café, where creative seasonal dishes and drinks are served in elegant surroundings.
How to get there
From Tokyo Station, take the Akita Shinkansen to Omagari Station (about 3 hours 15 minutes). Switch to the JR Ou Main Line to Shimoyuzawa Station (35 minutes). The factory is a 20 minute walk from the station.
124 Iwasaki, Yuzawa-shi, Akita-ken
