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Discover the Taste of Japan: Hands-On Soy Sauce Pressing

Updated: 2026.05.11

Try traditional soy sauce making, passed down through generations. You can also make miso—both offer a taste of Japan’s essential flavors…

Craftsmanship techniques passed down from the Meiji era

This article was created on November 8, 2019.

Hamana Ward, Hamamatsu City. Meijiya Soy Sauce Co., Ltd., a long-established soy sauce brewery founded in 1898, is located in this area, which has traditionally been a thriving agricultural region with abundant soybeans and abundant underground water. At Meijiya Soy Sauce, which is still making soy sauce using techniques passed down from the Meiji era, this time, Sea Lake HAMANA Jenne will be giving you the chance to experience soy sauce pressing.

Travel back in time to the Meiji era? Lured by the scent of soy sauce

After taking a brief lecture on soy sauce making, I headed to the factory and the scent of soy sauce hit me right away. When you enter the factory, drawn by the scent that will make you hungry, you will find yourself in a space that makes you feel as if you have traveled back in time to the Meiji era. Jenne and her friends were excited to see the machine that performs the “squeezing” process of squeezing soy sauce from mash, as well as the moromi storage area lined with large soy sauce barrels. We took a commemorative photo on top of the wooden pillar, being careful not to fall.

Put on the apron and start making soy sauce

After the factory tour, it’s time to try your hand at making soy sauce. Wearing a craftsman apron and hat will instantly transform you into craftsman mode. First, line the wooden soy sauce press with a dish towel and add moromi. After incorporating the moromi into three layers, it is pressed using its entire weight.

At this point, you have to squeeze out soy sauce to the specified level. It is a struggle to squeeze out the milk over and over again.

Alcohol lamp since elementary school! It's like a science experiment!

Jenne and her friends managed to squeeze out 120ml. From here, I started heating the soy sauce. What I saw on the work table was an alcohol lamp. “It’s so nostalgic!” I was amused by the fact that we had met since elementary school. Immediately light it with a match and heat it to 75 degrees while measuring with a thermometer. Be careful not to use too much as it will take time.

Label on the cap, my soy sauce is ready

After bottling the pasteurized soy sauce, cover it with a cap of your favorite color. After the soy sauce has cooled, write your name on the label you put on it, and your original soy sauce is complete. I also like that it’s large enough to be portable.