Yuasa Soy Sauce

Just a small town in the prefecture of Wakayama, Yuasa may seem a strange suggestion to those unfamiliar with the town's true significance in the world of food. However, a visit to Yuasa means a visit to the birthplace of traditional soy sauce – or shoyu – production.

Once home to 92 soy sauce factories, just four have lasted into the modern day due to the strict and labour-intensive processes that need to be followed to produce Yuasa's truly authentic soy sauce. In fact, what many know as soy sauce today is just an imitation of Yuasa shoyu, discovered over 750 years ago by a monk as a by-product of miso production.

Luckily, visitors to Yuasa can now take a tour around the Yuasa Soy Sauce Limited factory to discover the secrets of how the authentic liquid is made, fermenting natural and local soy beans, Tanba black beans, wheat and salt for up to two years to create Japan's very best soy sauce. Plus, once the tour of the factory is over, visitors can taste Yuasa's famous shoyu and even take a bottle home to capture the true flavour of Japan again and again.