The Miso Storehouses of Hatchokura-dori


2018.07.27

NAVITIME TRAVEL EDITOR

  • Anyone visiting Chubu region, the main island’s cumberbund, and Aichi Prefecture in particular, has likely come across the local akamiso. The dank local miso makes it into countless indigenous delicacies, including local favorite, miso katsu don, a layer of seasoned akamiso covering a slab of deep-fried pork cutlet covering a bowl of steamed white rice. A visit to Hatcho, not far from Okazaki Castle, and the Kakukyu Hatcho Miso factory and museum are the perfect chance to get an understanding of this unique food that is intimately linked to the local culture and geography.

    The Miso Storehouses of Hatchokura-dori

    The Miso Storehouses of Hatchokura-dori

    Hatcho is the home of Hatcho miso. Unlike other versions that include rice or barley, the preferred style in Chubu are varieties made with only soybeans. Compared to versions cut with grains, the miso made with only soybeans tends to be denser and a tad more bitter and sweet. The miso produced in Hatcho is known for its particular strength, fermented and aged in barrels, dry and dank, with a peculiarly astringent mouthfeel.

    The Miso Storehouses of Hatchokura-dori

    The Miso Storehouses of Hatchokura-dori

    Kakukyu Hatcho Miso factory has a heritage of centuries. In the 1990s, as interest in local foods was rekindled, and hoping to preserve some of the firm’s legacy, Kakukyu Hatcho Miso opened up their facility to tours, and built a museum devoted to the process and the product. Life-size dioramas, replicas of traditional equipment, a collection of artifacts from miso retail operations and rare documents and advertising materials are presented in a tidy museum.

    The Miso Storehouses of Hatchokura-dori

    The Miso Storehouses of Hatchokura-dori

    The product has remained the same, and so has the process: soybeans are steamed, crushed and inoculated with Aspergillus oryzae, the fungus that aids in the fermentation of miso, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sake. In each of the barrels, six metric tons of miso are compressed under a couple metric tons of smooth stones, squeezing out water and excess salt. Many of the barrels in the warehouse have been in use for over a hundred years, with the oldest going back over 275 years. Like many other fine foods, Hatcho miso is tied not only to the craftspeople that stay true to the legacy of the beans but also to the place itself: the local wood, the local water, and the local climate.

    The Miso Storehouses of Hatchokura-dori

    The Miso Storehouses of Hatchokura-dori

    Kakukyu Hatcho Miso products are available in the facility’s gift shop. Offerings range from the traditional Hatcho miso to organic and aged varieties, a version of the akamiso katsu sauce, a readymade miso ramen mixture, and also left-field offerings, including a miso chocolate bar produced in collaboration with Tokyo Chef Koji Tsuchiya’s Theobroma, and a miso castella, the popular Portugese-Japanese sponge cake spiked with rich Hatcho miso.

    The Miso Storehouses of Hatchokura-dori

    The Miso Storehouses of Hatchokura-dori

    From Nagoya, a trip to Okazaki City's Okazakikoen-Mae Station takes approximately forty five minutes, and facility and factory are located a five minute walk away. A cafe on-site is open during the day and a curry restaurant offers longer hours and a dining room with a view of the miso factory. The facility is open weekdays from 10am to 4pm, and tours are offered every half hour.

    Kakukyu Hatcho Miso (Hatcho Miso no Sato)
    rating

    4.0

    108 Reviews
    place
    Aichi Pref. Okazakishi Hacchouchou Oukandori 69
    phone
    0564211355
    opening-hour
    [Tour registration] [Weekda…
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    Okazaki Castle
    rating

    4.0

    344 Reviews
    place
    Aichi Pref. Okazakishi Kouseichou 561-1
    phone
    0564222122
    opening-hour
    [Okazaki Castle]9:00-17:00(L…
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    Okazakikoen-mae
    place
    Aichi Pref
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