May 30,2024
The Umekoji Potel Kyoto, a place that creates exchanges and connections among people and culture, opened in 2020 in a location five minutes from Umekoji-Kyotonishi station. The Umekoji Fermentation Factory, which is attached to the hotel, sells Kyoto specialties and carefully curated saké from all over Japan and has a dining space. The factory’s main feature is the koji [rice malt] room in a corner of the store. We spoke with Yamaguchi Mao, brand manager and designer for the Umekoji Fermentation Factory, which conveys the attractions of fermentation through koji making and workshops.
The Umekoji Fermentation Factory’s symbol is its glass-walled koji room that faces the street. Its appeal is so great that some of the staff members started working at the store after passing by and becoming intrigued by what was going on inside. So we asked why they decided to build a glass-walled koji room.
Manager Yamaguchi also designs the store’s original goods
“Ueda Saketen, the company that operates the Umekoji Fermentation Factory, started out as a small liquor store that opened in Osaka in 1935. Ueda Saketen was contacted when Umekoji Potel Kyoto was about to open, and we decided to create a store here. Initially, we thought about making just a store related to saké, but then we thought about how the store could be symbolic of something. Since the hotel has koji in its name (although a different meaning of koji), we hit on the idea of having koji as the store’s theme and making koji ourselves. We went with a glass wall to trigger the interest of more people. Koji rooms, traditionally, are dark, sacred places closed from view and tucked away at the very back of saké breweries. So making ours with a glass wall where everything is visible from the outside presented a big challenge for us.”
The interior of the Umekoji Fermentation Factory. The koji room is on the other side of the window, and you can observe the koji-making process from inside the store as well.
The sign posted at the entrance to the koji room. This one of the large pillars that name the four things you can do at the Umekoji Fermentation Factory: Drink, Shop, Ferment, and Learn.
Despite the challenges, they stuck with a glass-walled koji room because they wanted to teach as many people as possible about the culture of koji.
“Koji is essential to Japan’s culture of fermentation, starting with saké and including soy sauce, miso, and many other fermented foods. But kids and many adults have never seen actual koji. This is one reason why creating this open space has generated so much growing interest. We even get people from elementary schools and kids’ centers asking whether we can provide hands-on koji-making programs for kids.”
Koji is produced weekly over three days. The koji starters used are yellow koji from Hishiroku Moyashi in Higashiyama, Kyoto, and black koji from Kojiya Sanzaemon, a renowned producer in Aichi.
The koji-making tools are lined up like a display. They have the intrinsic beauty of objects that have been passed down for generations.
Yamaguchi, herself, is a former designer, and although her company has a long history as a liquor shop, it had never produced koji before.
“Previously, we had only sold products made by others. We got into this with the idea that if we experienced koji production ourselves, we could better communicate the importance of the craft and promote the culture of fermentation. Ikejima Kotaro from the Happy Taro Brewery in the neighboring prefecture of Shiga taught us how to make koji. Growing the koji culture is extremely hard and we had failures in the beginning. But after three or four years, we began to understand the differences in the best ways to make koji depending on the climate and humidity. Now, finally, we can figure out ourselves how to make koji that is unique to this place.”
Homemade koji is available for purchase as souvenirs. Specially cultivated rice is used to make their rice koji, brown rice koji, and black koji. Gohyaku Mangoku, a rice variety used by breweries, is used to make the saké koji, and the rice is polished to 60 percent, the same level as that used in high-quality Junmai Ginjo saké.
If you are unsure which koji to purchase, the amazake [a sweet drink made from fermented koji] tasting flight is recommended because you can enjoy the different flavors from four types of koji. Moving clockwise from the top left: rice koji with a rich sweetness, brown rice koji with an enjoyable grainy texture, saké koji with a clean mouthfeel, and black koji with a tangy twist.
The concept of the fermentation factory is to bring the classics to a modern world. The factory’s website states: “We want to provide ways to best enjoy the benefits of koji and fermentation, which have been passed down from our predecessors, for people in the modern age.” One of these ways is through the workshops held regularly at the store. In addition to the rare experience of making koji, what is unique is the experience of making koji seasonings by combining rice koji with spices and other ingredients.
The test tubes, like something from a science experiment, catch the eye
“Since many people already know about amazake and salted koji, we decided to develop a workshop that conveys new ways of using koji and highlights their appeal. Our aim was to make it easier for people to incorporate koji and fermented ingredients into their regular diet. What we came up with is flavored salted koji that can be sprinkled on pasta or meat. It’s a kind of hybrid that adds flavors to salted koji. The ingredients available in the workshops change depending on the season, but participants can select four flavors — such as Kyoto Uji matcha, curry powder, rosemary and pink pepper — and try to make their own original salted koji. For example, if you combine matcha with salted koji, you get a flavor that’s like a Japanese-style Genovese pesto.”
What else that makes the workshops special is that they start with learning about koji and involve more than just making seasonings. The curriculum was created to deepen understanding of koji and Japan’s traditional fermented food culture.
Depending on the day of the workshop, you may be able to observe freshly made rice koji mold under a microscope
The store has various types of koji on display
Yamaguchi says fermented foods came to her attention because she had always been interested in health and beauty. But she never imagined she would become this infatuated with fermented foods until she got involved with the Umekoji Fermentation Factory.
“The more I learned, the more I discovered about the benefits of koji and fermentation and I became completely hooked. Many customers who come to our store are conscious about health, but we hope to spread awareness of fermentation and koji and get kids and young people to take notice of them too.”
Some people become interested in the koji making they see through the store window, others learn about fermented foods for health reasons, and still others are simply attracted by the delicious taste and incorporate koji into their cooking. The origins may be different for everyone, but the Umekoji Fermentation Factory is full of these origins.
“We offer our original product line called Koji Yu-no-Moto — which is made from 100 percent rice koji in a cloth pouch that you add to your bath. We developed this product after noticing that toji saké brewers have very beautiful hands. Koji offers so many benefits, from being delicious to eat and good for your health as well as aiding beauty. In the future, we hope to design more new programs and create more opportunities for people to get to know koji and fermentation.”
In addition to homemade koji and Koji Yu-no-Moto, the store also has a choice selection of saké from all over Japan
No.1
No.2
No.3
No.4
No.5