AD Leave a rating/comment#Craft / FolkcraftBack to ArticlesSHARE Prachet Sancheti aka ‘Brown Koji Boy’—a cricket analyst whose culinary Masters course at Italy’s School of Gastronomic Sciences was cut short due to COVID—began making koji out of a converted cooler in his bungalow in Goa he’s supplying India’s top restaurants—from Mumbai’s Papa’s to Bengaluru’s Naru—with everything from three-pea and cashew-based misos to koji mushroom caramel and koji hot sauce As a producer who often hosts visitors at his koji facility in Goa he wanted to visit his counterparts in Japan So Sancheti reached out to dozens of regional producers of koji—makers of miso and mirin—for a fermentation pilgrimage that would take him across Japan While he embarked on a technical culinary journey Sancheti found fermentation tourism in Japan to be a delightfully fun space—one where foodies of all ilks could enjoy themselves travelling from seaside towns to mountain hamlets Here is Sancheti’s guide to Japan’s delightful ferments: koji: Japan’s national mould (Aspergillus oryzae) an enzymatic powerhouse used in fermentation to create products such as soy sauce Amazake: A traditional Japanese fermented rice drink often non-alcoholic—like a sweet non-alcoholic sake Miso: A Japanese fermented soybean paste used as a seasoning in soups Tamari: A gluten-free soy sauce variant made primarily from soybeans fermented sauce made from soybeans and wheat Mirin: A sweet Japanese rice wine used in cooking to add flavour and gloss to dishes and meaty flavour often found in foods like soy sauce Ikebukuro Egg FestivalThis festival in Tokyo’s Ikebukuro ward is set in a subterranean hall of the Ikebukuro train station It's essentially a soy sauce and egg festival— celebrating “tamago kake gohan” a Japanese breakfast dish of cooked rice topped with a raw or cured egg and soy sauce many traditional “kioke” soy sauce producers show up; the name kioke refers to the wooden barrels used to ferment soy sauce the traditional way representing just one per cent of soy sauce producers in Japan You can buy an all-you-can-eat pass and sample all sorts of soy sauce and tamari and meet some of the best soy sauce producers in Japan Uonuma Jozo rice koji factoryThis place specialises in amazake and is surrounded by the three peaks of Echigo— the mountain snow melts and forms the Uono river that passes right by the factory All that melted snow represents 100 per cent of the water used at Uonuma Jozo so you can book a slot online on their website They have one of the world's largest koji-making machines that makes about 20 tonnes of koji at a time something you’ve never tasted; they allow you to taste the water itself so you can see the difference in the quality where they take you through the brand’s history from koji syrup to koji amazake sweets like doughnuts and gelato… they also have amazake in powdered form to sprinkle on dishes for sweetness or make instant amazake Yamato Koji ParkThis seaside destination represents one of the biggest koji producers in Japan—mainly soy sauce They’ve also got a cafe with a bakery and soft-serve ice cream—they do like an amazing brown rice soft serve that tastes a lot like Horlicks and a soy sauce ice cream with a huge depth of flavour the real draw of this place is the 100 per cent koji-based bakes Using koji powder instead of flour to make cheesecake they brûlée the dusting of shio koji powder on top using sweet and salty misos that add an umami element They also make a lovely soy sauce pie and miso custard buns It’s just a fun way to have people interact with and understand koji-based foods outside the realm of sushi and ramen Pick up their four-year-aged soy sauce as well as their many funky powders and amazakes to bring about all aspects of koji together Mikina Natural Bread bakeryThese guys don’t use any yeast at their koji-based bakery they make what’s called a doburoku mash to create this yeast-like effect that acts as a starter One is a small koji growing space in Saitama so the father lives above the space and does the whole koji process himself—the idea of an 86-year-old dad growing all that koji is fascinating—doing trials taking care of the fermentation cycle for the starters; these are taken to the second space the bread factory run by his son in Kashiwa The production factory is run by a tight-knit team this is a place you’ll have to reach out to beforehand Mr.Nobutaro Asai of Maruya Hatcho Miso trying BKB's Tamari Laying of weight stones at Maruya Hatcho Miso Use of this website constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service (updated April 1 2021) and Policy and Cookie Statement (updated April 1 The material on this site may not be reproduced except with the prior written permission of Condé Nast Copyright ©2025. 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Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishingCookie Settings Choice glamping locations in and around Tokyo By Sleiman Azizi Glamping may very well be the perfect user-friendly experience of Japan’s great outdoors Living it up in the middle of nature with well equipped tents and small designer cabins — often luxurious — have made ‘glamorous camping’ the holiday of choice for many from mouth-dropping BBQ platters and outdoor enjoyment to farm-themed locations and locations crafted by award-winning designers Here’s an easy guide to glamping sites within access from Tokyo From purple sweet potatoes to wild horse sightings here’s how to make the most of Okinawa’s tropical escape Explore the best local brands shaping Tokyo’s fashion scene From vintage clothing to Hawaiian-themed goods here’s what’s worth checking out before it’s gone From buying and registering a bike to key rules of the road Collagen staples for beauty and health in Japan Our handpicked list of the best events going on this month and the untold tales of Japan’s queer community Everything you need to know before and during a natural disaster Stay up to date with Tokyo news and events Look out for your first newsletter in your inbox soon We help you navigate a myriad of possibilities Sign up for our newsletter for the best of the city By entering your email address you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and consent to receive emails from Time Out about news, events, offers and partner promotions. Tokyo It may have the pun-averse and camping purists up in arms but glamping (glamorous camping) is here to stay With resorts popping up at some of Japan’s most iconic locations there’s never been a better time to sleep al fresco So whether it is waking up to the perfect view of Mount Fuji or splashing around in the emerald waters of the Seto Inland Sea that floats your boat Hoshinoya Fuji is where it all started: this luxury resort introduced Japan to glamping and Japan fell in love Created by an all-star group of specialists including architects landscape designers and lighting technicians it’s designed for those looking to experience all the positives of camping without having to sweat for the pleasure All accommodation here has magnificent views of Mt Fuji while the spacious communal terrace is the spot to grill some red meat or drink around the bonfire Only guests are allowed to enter the premises If you are feeling active you can indulge in horseback riding around the foot of the sacred peak or an early-morning canoeing session on Lake Kawaguchi The rest of us are happy to kick back and soak in that view 1408 Oishi, Fujikawaguchiko, Minamitsuru-gun, Yamanashi. 0570 073 066. hoshinoyafuji.com Located on Awaji Island in Hyogo prefecture no relation to its American namesake – is a fancy tent village for campers with thick wallets You can go swimming in the Seto Inland Sea and enjoy an evocative beach campfire in the evening Accommodation options include a tent larger than the apartments of most Tokyoites and cottages that look like they’ve been ripped from the pages of a fashion magazine Prices start from ¥28,000 for the cabins 2359 Goshikicho-Torikaiura, Sumoto-shi, Hyogo. 0799 34 0900. fbi-camping.com/awaji Chiba’s The Farm is only an hour and a half away from central Tokyo but feels a million miles from the metropolitan heave Part of a Ministry of Agriculture project that aims to ‘energise producers’ in the countryside The Farm hosts a number of agricultural activities and events to introduce the public to the joys of living off the land and everything you eat is grown on site You can choose to stay either in a tent or a cottage either way you’ll have access to the on-site onsen there’s nothing better than a hot spring bath 1309-29 Nishitabe, Katori-shi, Chiba. 0478 70 5551. thefarm.jp You can now go glamping in central Tokyo – at Toyosu’s ‘outdoor park’ The stylishly designed 1.6-hectare site has the look of a theme park and stocks all the equipment you’ll need for an evening of grilling – from cutlery and knives to meat and vegetables Their American-style smoked steak with original garlic spice seasoning is especially delicious 6-1-23 Toyosu, Koto-ku (Shin-Toyosu Station). the-third-park.com Hatsushima can be accessed only by boat – it’s a 25-minute ride from Atami Port close to Atami Station on the Tokaido line Hatsushima Island Resort is equipped with terraced mega tents and trailers with en suite bathrooms and private decks while the barbecue menu is heavy on seafood including succulently fresh scallops and lobster and in the early mornings watch the sunrise from the Shima no Yu baths The hot spring here bubbles up from 40m underground and is rich with rejuvenating minerals If you like to mix the call of the wild with your creature comforts Hatsushima, Atami-shi, Shizuoka. 0557 67 2151. pica-resort.jp/hatsushima Thanks for subscribing! Look out for your first newsletter in your inbox soon! facebooktwitterpinterestinstagramAbout us A moderate magnitude 4.5 earthquake occurred in the North Pacific Ocean near the coast of Ibaraki,  Japan The quake had a shallow depth of 46 km (29 mi) and was not felt (or at least not reported so) A strong magnitude 4.6 earthquake occurred in the North Pacific Ocean near the coast of  Japan in the morning of Monday The quake had a shallow depth of 50 km (31 mi) and was reported felt by some people near the epicenter A moderate magnitude 4.5 earthquake hit 35 km (22 mi) away from Kashima-shi, Ibaraki,  Japan The quake had a very shallow depth of 20 km (13 mi) and was felt widely in the area The shallow depth of the quake caused it to be felt more strongly near the epicenter than a deeper quake of similar magnitude would Sano has a very high level of seismic activity Based on data from the past 25 years and our earthquake archive back to 1900 there are about 2,700 quakes on average per year in or near Sano Sano has had at least 13 quakes above magnitude 6 since 1900 which suggests that larger earthquakes of this size occur infrequently probably on average approximately every 5 to 10 years The quake had a very shallow depth of 6.4 km (4 mi) and was too small to be felt by people Sano has had 25 small quakes up to magnitude 1.9 The quake had a very shallow depth of 22 km (14 mi) and was not felt (or at least not reported so).