Tradition and nature intertwine in the original landscape of soy sauce production

 

About 30 minutes by car from Hamamatsu Station, Meijiya Soy Sauce continues to produce soy sauce with care in a traditional wooden storehouse.

 

A black-wood fenced building appears at the end of a narrow alley. As you pass through the sliding door, the scent of cedar and the sweet aroma of koji gently tickles your nose. The pillars, beams, and well-used tools all stand there, giving the impression that a long time has passed quietly.

 

It's somehow nostalgic, yet new. Even as times change, the passion for cherishing handiwork and cultivating soy sauce together with the nature of Hamamatsu still lives on in this place.

 

 

 

Over 100 years with the community

 

Meijiya Soy Sauce was founded in 1875. The first generation, Mankichi, established the company, and the third generation, Satohira, overcame the chaotic post-war period to produce products such as Takamine Sauce and Yamaman Soy Sauce.

 

A major feature of Meijiya Soy Sauce's soy sauce production is that they are committed to "natural fermentation," where they prepare the "moromi" (soy mash) by hand and let it mature slowly over a period of one and a half to three years.

 

By relying on the power of nature and taking our time, we bring out the flavor and aroma of the ingredients.

 

 

"Of the 20-odd soy sauce breweries in Shizuoka Prefecture, only about 7 or 8 still make their own mash. It's a lot of work and produces waste, so it's tough, but for generations our family has been committed to making it by hand," says Nozue, the sixth generation soy sauce brewer.

 

 

Soybeans and wheat grown with our own hands

 

Another thing they are particular about is that they grow their own soybeans and wheat, which are their raw materials. In fact, they had been cultivating their own ingredients until about 60 years ago, when the fourth-generation owner, Masanari, restarted the business in 1993 by establishing the Masanari Natural Farm.

 

We have established a style of doing all the processes ourselves, from preparing the ingredients to making the soy sauce, in our fields, which are free of pesticides and chemical fertilizers.

 

Currently, the number of fields has increased to five, and the sixth generation's younger brother is in charge of cultivation. Three goats help with weeding, and battles of wits with pigeons are a daily occurrence. This family-run business, from the fields to the soy sauce brewery, is now a rare sight nationwide.

 

 

 

Throughout its long history, Meijiya Soy Sauce has maintained the same stance of "making soy sauce by hand using local ingredients, in close contact with the kitchens of local people."To this day, the company does not mass-produce or sell by mail order, and does not wholesale to supermarkets.It places the utmost importance on handing the soy sauce directly to those who visit the brewery.

 

 

Soybeans, koji, and the fruits of time

 

Beams run along the ceiling, and soft light filters in, creating a path to the depths of the storehouse. Next to the rows of barrels, tools that were born from trial and error, or left unused, stand quietly, telling the story of the ingenuity and struggles of generations of craftsmen.

 

 

 

Impressed by every freshly squeezed drop

 

During the experience, you will receive a lecture from the sixth generation owner, and then place the moromi mash into a cloth bag with your own hands, applying pressure little by little using the traditional method. What will quietly seep out is truly "freshly made" soy sauce.

 

 

 

The reason why every drop feels so precious is because it is squeezed by hand. You will be amazed at the richness and mellowness of the aroma.

 

 

You can squeeze your own soy sauce, bottle it, and write a handwritten label as a souvenir to create a special, one-of-a-kind bottle.

🌸From March 20th, 2026, the soy sauce you can take home will have a special label for the Flower Festival. We will also be serving "Sakura Flower Tea."

 

Freshly squeezed soy sauce in mitarashi sauce

 

Another highlight of this experience is making mitarashi dango. Slowly cooked dumplings are coated in a thick sauce made from freshly squeezed soy sauce, and the aroma, subtle sweetness, and deep umami flavor spread throughout your mouth.

 

Here you can find happiness that you can feel with all five senses.

 

 

 

Meijiya Soy Sauce's experience is open to everyone, from small children to adults.

 

Soy sauce, which is something we take for granted on our dinner table every day, will start to feel a little more special from today. This is a quiet and enriching time that will give you that realization.

 

 

What you can experience in this tour

 

The experience lasts about an hour and a half. First, you'll hear about the history of soy sauce and "moromi," then you'll enter an old-fashioned wooden storehouse. You'll get a close-up look at the moromi fermenting and tools that have been used for generations.

 

After that, it's time to press the soy sauce. The mash is packed into a cloth bag and pressed with a special machine, and the soy sauce is bottled. A label is attached and your very own bottle is complete.

 

The last part of the course is making mitarashi dango. You will make a sauce using freshly squeezed soy sauce, mirin, and sugar, and then dip the grilled dango in it. The taste of the dango dipped in soy sauce that you squeezed yourself is exceptional.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Guide introduction

 

Meijiya Soy Sauce Co., Ltd. 6th Generation Owner, Shohei Nozue

 

After graduating from university, he took a different path, working in the food and beverage industry, but after retiring he returned home and, at his father's urging, visited the brewery, which led him to enter the world of traditional soy sauce making. Now, as the sixth generation owner, he is committed to preserving the long-standing manufacturing methods while working to create safe and secure products that support delicious taste, and to communicating the appeal of the brewery to the local community and future generations. He is committed to creating an open brewery, planning tours of the brewery and hands-on workshops such as "Learn a little more! Soy sauce pressing and miso making experience."