8 players in the fermented foods field showcasing Nagano to the world as a land of fermented foods and longevity!
From left:
Takada Kazuaki, President & CEO, Atelier de Fromage
Miyasaka Naotaka, Chairman, Nagano Sake Brewery Association (Miyasaka Brewing Company, Ltd.)
Murata Shigeru, President, Nagano Prefectural Natto Association (Murata Shoten)
Nishi Kyoko, Councillor, Secretariat of the Council for the Realization of the Vision for a Digital Garden City Nation,
Cabinet Secretariat, Government of Japan
Yoneyama Hiroshi, President, Nagano Prefectural Federation of Soy Sauce Manufacturers Cooperatives
(Ina Soy Sauce Co., Ltd.)
Aoki Tokio, President, Nagano Prefectural Federation of Miso Manufacturers Cooperatives (Marukome Co., Ltd.)
Furukoshi Mitsuyuki, President, Nagano Prefectural Tsukemono Cooperative (Kurumaya)
Takeda Kou, Nagano Wine Association (Takayashiro Farm & Winery)
Uchibori Taisaku, CEO, Uchibori Vinegar, Inc.
Sharing and creating knowledge and technology across sectors
Nagano has one of the longest-lived populations on the planet. This, it’s said, is in part because the everyday Nagano diet includes many vegetables and fermented foods, which promote good health. Ferment Valley NAGANO is a collective effort by industry, government agencies, and schools to study the healthy fermented foods that are Nagano’s pride and joy and develop new products from them. It’s intended to tell the world about Nagano’s attractions as a land of fermented foods and longevity.
Eight Nagano fermented food industries have teamed up on the project: miso, sake, wine, soy sauce, pickles, natto, cheese, and vinegar. As founding member Aoki Tokio put it: “This public-private-academic partnership will pool knowledge and technology from different sectors, making it possible to develop fermented foods that break new ground.” New fermented foods and health foods, it is expected, will emerge from this alliance of traditional fermented food industries.
Nishi Kyoko, who was present to endorse the kickoff event, offered these words of encouragement. “Twenty twenty-three marks exactly a decade since Washoku, traditional dietary cultures of the Japanese, were inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2013. Ferment Valley NAGANO is thus being launched at a significant juncture. It would be wonderful if, in partnership with other prefectures, this initiative spread nationwide.”
Nagano’s culture of fermentation is underpinned by its favorable climate and soil.
Why did a culture of fermentation take root in Nagano in the first place? The answer lies in Nagano’s geography and climate. Nagano covers a huge area, being the fourth-largest of Japan’s prefectures, and much of it offers excellent drainage. A multitude crops have therefore grown there for centuries.
“Although crops can be harvested in abundance, the place gets a lot of snow in winter,” explained Toida Jinichi. “In the old days, foods couldn’t easily be transported to market, so families would preserve their own by adding salt. Nagano had a cool inland climate with little rain, making it well suited to fermenting foods. People must have noticed that fermenting and aging foods enhanced their flavorful as well as making them last longer. A culture of fermentation thus took root in Nagano, and many producers of fermented foods appeared.”
Nagano is one of Japan’s leaders in fermented foods. It currently ranks number one nationwide for shipments of miso and number two for shipments of sake, fruit-based alcoholic beverages, soy sauce, and pickled vegetables. The Ferment Valley NAGANO kickoff event was intended to make more people aware of this culture of fermentation. To that end, it featured hands-on workshops in preparing typical Japanese fermented foods, as well as a round table on the subject.
Miso-making workshop taught by a “Miso Ambassador.” Participants made kome miso (miso made with rice malt) by mashing steamed soybeans into a paste by hand.
Yoneyama Hiroshi, aka Professor Soy Sauce, explaining that there are five types of soy sauce depending on how they’re made and the ratio of ingredients. Participants were amazed at how different each tasted.
A round table featuring 5 young proprietors and proprietresses ready to take Nagano’s culture of fermentation into the future
There was also a round table featuring five young proprietors and proprietresses who have taken over family businesses operating for generations in Nagano. They talked about the struggles, joys, and dreams associated with running a traditional business.
From left: Aoki Shigeta of Suyakame, Nishizawa Masumi of 24koujiya, Wakabayashi Mami of Wakabayashi Brewing, Kinoshita Shohei of Matsuokaya Brewery, and Kubo Hironori of Maruto
<Question 1>
Have you had any struggles that could only happen at a family business with a long history? Have you run into a generation gap with your predecessor, say?
Aoki Shigeta of miso manufacturer Suyakame:
I’m the fourth head of Suyakame, which was founded in 1902, but I only entered the family business two years ago. Previously I worked at a different food company. I’m still a novice learning the ropes, so I haven’t had any major struggles. The decline in miso consumption has been palpable, though, so right now I’m working hard on planning promotions like “scoop all the miso you can.” I’d love to get all the families within a five-kilometer radius of us using Suyakame miso!
Nishizawa Masumi of koji (rice malt) wholesaler 24koujiya:
I’m married to the sixth head of Nishikojiya Honpo, a wholesaler and retailer of koji since the Edo Period (1603–1867). I’m here today because my husband Yoshihiro has to tend to the koji every day. The biggest struggle I’ve had? For a time, I just couldn’t get it through to the previous president how things are done today: holding events, using social media. It was so frustrating. A lot of young people don’t even know how to use koji in their cooking, so I wanted to spread the word, but he just didn’t get it. In the end, I prevailed by telling him, “Just let me do it! I’ll take responsibility for everything.” And so I launched 24koujiya [laughs]. I was determined to familiarize young mothers with koji.
Wakabayashi Mami of sake maker Wakabayashi Brewing:
I’m the fifth president of Wakabayashi Brewing, a sake brewer in Shiodadaira founded in 1896, and Nagano’s seventh female master brewer. Being the second daughter of the previous president, I say exactly what I think—and I sell all the more sake for it! I’ve outdone my dad in production volumes and sales channels, so he no longer says a word [laughs]. Now I think we need to add even more value to our excellent quality and charge the right price for it. We’ve already started exporting overseas, and we’re planning to further expand our sales network.
Kinoshita Shohei of sake maker Matsuokaya Brewery:
「Matsuokaya Brewery was founded in 1534, making it the second oldest commercial establishment in Nagano. My father is the fifteenth head of the brewery, and I’m supposed to take over from him. Me, I really haven’t had any struggles to speak of. I can speak my mind to my father. But his predecessor, my grandfather, was really stubborn and gave my father a hard time. I guess that’s why my mother always says fathers and sons should get along. Maybe that’s the reason I haven’t had to struggle [laughs]. There’s one thing that has changed. Before, we couldn’t do anything that cost money like advertising, but lately we’ve finally gotten around to sprucing up our website.
Kubo Hironori of pickle manufacturer Maruto:
You all have such long histories. It’s amazing. Pickle dealer Maruto was founded in 1941, a mere eighty-two years ago. Doesn’t seem that long ago [laughs]. My father currently heads the company, and I’m to succeed him. I have one concern, though I’m not sure if you would call it a struggle. Over the past ten years, I feel there have been significant changes in the natural environment and the working environment. Vegetables, which are the key ingredient for making Japanese pickles, are now difficult to get hold of, for several reasons. Farmers are growing old. And when vegetables are sown later in the year because of global warming, the weather is cold by the time they’re harvested, so good-quality vegetables aren’t available. When Nagano Prefecture launched a campaign to get people to cut down on salt, to be honest I was worried. But salt and sugar are essential for your health, and there’s a growing awareness that fermented foods are good for you, so that problem is behind us. We similarly *hope to be able to surmount any other challenges as they crop up.
<Question 2>
With the launch of Ferment Valley NAGANO, are you going to change your approach to developing and promoting products?
Nishizawa-san:
Something occurred to me when Wakabayashi-san talked about exporting sake overseas. Where there’s good sake, there’s good food. Which means that seasonings made with our koji can tag along wherever you go. Please take us with you on your overseas expansion!
Wakabayashi-san:
Oh dear, you’re asking for our help. What a heavy responsibility [laughs]! Well, exports of sake have certainly increased, and demand is up. A lot of overseas tourists visit my brewery as well. It’s a wooden building dating back to 1896, and they’re fascinated by it: the earthen walls, the tiling, the area beneath the traditional Japanese veranda. It’s obviously a real tourist attraction for anyone interested in exploring Japanese culture.
Kubo-san:
Right. When people gather like this, it gives rise to all kinds of new ideas and fosters connections. It would be great if we can forge ahead together under the banner of what unites us: fermentation.
Kinoshita-san:
There’s almost no one who dislikes eating, right? Let’s hope that anyone with an interest in fermented foods will come to Nagano to find out about fermentation.
Aoki-san:
Definitely. What we need, in my view, is a place to communicate with customers. While I’m still new to this business, I feel I have a responsibility to live up to the history of our company and its products. When I ask myself what specifically I can do, what comes to mind is creating a forum. I’m thinking of giving the store a facelift. I look forward to working with everyone involved in Ferment Valley NAGANO, as well as our customers, on building Nagano’s reputation as a land of fermented foods and longevity.
Fermentation’s possibilities are endless!
Maezawa Tomoe, Principal, Nagano Wine Travel, and JSA-certified sommelier, talking about tourism combining food and travel
Expanding overseas and organizing fermentation tours combining food and travel
“Expanding into overseas markets and developing people-to-people connections will be essential to growing the fermented foods sector,” noted Ferment Valley NAGANO founding member Aoki Tokio. He talked about the importance of exhibiting at trade shows in Japan and abroad. He also stressed the need to make Nagano a destination for international visitors to Japan and work with the tourism sector.
Indeed, tours combining food and travel, such as wine tours and fermentation tours, have grown in popularity over the past few years. “Experiences that can be had nowhere else will become increasingly sought after,” observed Maezawa Tomoe, Principal of Nagano Wine Travel, a sommelier who has visited over a hundred wineries all over Japan. “Visiting local wineries and vineyards. Getting to know the terroir. Enjoying the food, the natural surroundings, and everything else the place has to offer.”
Stay tuned in 2024 as Ferment Valley NAGANO continues spreading the word about the magic of Nagano!
Over three hundred organizations and businesses operating in eight different sectors with one thing in common—fermentation—are taking part in Ferment Valley NAGANO. This bold initiative seeks to maximize impact by sharing knowledge and technologies across industry boundaries. And it’s only just begun. Nagano’s fermented-food industries aim to revitalize communities by coming together to tell the whole world about the magic of fermented foods. In 2024, you’ll have more opportunities to experience new ways to enjoy these culinary delights. Stay tuned to see what Ferment Valley NAGANO gets up to!
