Yanagawa: Soya Sauce Workshop

Exploring Yanagawa, my friend and I stumbled upon a soya sauce factory on a plain and lonely side street. The building would have seemed like plain building gone unnoticed if it wasn’t for the red flag dangling in the wind.

Soya sauce factory in Yanagawa.

We had the day to spend in Yanagawa so we decided to take a look. I was also thinking it might be nice to get some fresh soya sauce for my kitchen as well. Inside was spacious. Half of the room was dedicated to the “shop”, shelf and tables of different soya sauces, vinegar, miso and flavored salt. In the corner were huge open soya sauce barrels, each dating the start of its fermenting process starting from 2 years ago.

Open soya sauce barrels.

 

Inside the soya sauce barrel

 

Soya Sauce Workshop

This factory was offering a “Make your own soya sauce experience” for only 500 YEN! (aka. $5)

Though we won’t be able to use it for at least 6 months – 1year…it’s the experience that counts. How often would I get to say I made soya sauce?…and again the pricing in Japan is remarkable.

Soya Sauce Makers

Making Soya Sauce

First we measured a grain mixture of wheat, barely and malt. Then poured dissolved salt water into the grain mixture… and shake. Simple 1, 2, 3 step to the start of my own fermenting soya sauce ^^.

Making Soya Sauce

For the next week I’ll be shaking it once a day, then once for the next 10 days for the next 4 months…and then once month for the next 3 months, or as much as I wish before using. When not shaken, it has to stand in a cool/shady spot with the lid unscrewed to release any gases… or it might explode…

My batch (left), will one day look like the store example (right).

Overtime the mixture will turn darker, and then needs to be drained before using. At this stage, taste can then be altered by adding sugar for a sweeter taste, etc. Once drained it should be used right away, but if I heat it just before the point of boil it can keep for up to 3 months.

So in half a year, to a year…soya sauce party at my house!

Dividing the soya sauce liquid from the yeast.