Located at Hitachinaka City, Ibaraki, "Kurosawa Soy Sauce Shop" is a long-established direct-sales shop that manufactures soy sauce and sells processed products.
Signs reading “Kurosawa Soy Sauce” and “Soy Sauce Soft Serve” are dotted along National Route 245, catching the eye of passersby.
Passing through the retro gate, which evokes a sense of nostalgia, you’ll find a few parking spaces out front and a spacious area in the back large enough to accommodate tour buses.
Founded in 1905, the fourth-generation owner continues to preserve the traditional flavor today.
Award-winning soy sauce sweets from Kurosawa Soy Sauce Shop
Near the nearby production facility, the fragrant aroma of roasted soybeans mingles with a subtle hint of soy sauce.
Inside the shop, you’ll find soy sauce, processed soy sauce products, gift sets, and sweets.
The soy sauce pudding won the Governor’s Selection award at the “Ibaraki Design Selection 2011.”
The pudding is incredibly smooth, and the soy sauce’s subtle sweet-salty flavor adds depth to the sweetness, creating a taste that makes you want to take another bite.
Transparent refrigerated and frozen display cases also feature soy sauce ice cream and soy sauce koji chiffon cake, all of which are popular.
In addition, the shop offers a variety of processed products, including ponzu soy sauce, rich dashi soy sauce for raw eggs, awazuke (pickling soy sauce), yakiniku sauce, amazake, and handmade miso.
A tasting corner unique to a direct sales shop
At the in-store tasting corner featuring small bottles, you can sample most products—including soy sauce, yakiniku sauce, and awazuke—as you shop.
You can compare the distinct flavors of each product and clearly appreciate the unique aromas and tastes of each soy sauce variety.
Ninemon Soy Sauce, aged for a long time in cedar barrels passed down through generations, features packaging that evokes a sense of history—one of its key attractions. Many customers are reportedly drawn to its retro appearance and purchase it for that very reason.
Kura Café and Fermentation Classes
At the on-site Kura Café, you can enjoy a lunch featuring soy sauce and fermented foods by reservation.
Dumplings and light snacks are available without a reservation.
On sunny days, you can see children enjoying soy sauce soft-serve ice cream on the terrace.
The café also hosts fermentation workshops, making it a popular spot where visitors can experience the appeal of soy sauce and fermented foods firsthand.
Cedar-Barrel Fermentation Since 1905 — The Site of Natural Brewing
Kurosawa Soy Sauce Shop’s soy sauce is made using traditional methods that have remained unchanged since the company’s founding. The process begins by combining steamed soybeans with carefully roasted wheat, adding starter koji, and cultivating the koji in a dedicated room. The mixture is then transferred to cedar barrels—a tradition passed down through generations—where it ferments with the help of natural yeast and lactic acid bacteria that inhabit the brewery.
Inside the barrels, the moromi (fermented mash) is left to the natural temperature fluctuations of the four seasons, slowly fermenting and maturing over the course of one to two years. The process continues through pressing, pasteurization, and bottling, ultimately taking shape as a single bottle of soy sauce. This brewing method, which does not rely on machines but instead values the work of human hands and microorganisms, remains unchanged even 120 years after the company’s founding.
Kurosawa Soy Sauce’s Signature Soy Sauce Lineup
Our retail store features a selection of soy sauces to suit various uses and preferences.
Fujini is our signature dark soy sauce. Aged slowly at low temperatures for one to one and a half years to enhance its umami, it’s a versatile choice that pairs well with everyday meals.
Hishio-gura is a twice-brewed soy sauce. Crafted over two years, this premium product combines deep richness with a mellow flavor, making it ideal for dishes where you want to highlight the natural taste of ingredients, such as sashimi or rice topped with raw egg.
Niemon is a soy sauce made from whole soybeans and aged in cedar barrels. Its retro label, evoking a sense of history, is part of its charm, and it is often chosen as a gift.
We also offer a lineup of products designed to expand your culinary horizons, including Fujikotobuki—a soy sauce blended with bonito dashi—and Awa-zuke, which allows you to easily make pickles simply by soaking vegetables.
Recommended Menu Items at Kura Cafe
The signature dish at Kura Cafe is the Amazake Soy Sauce Soft Serve, which has been popular since its launch. This treat features soft serve that highlights the umami of soy sauce, topped with homemade amazake, and you can choose from toppings like red beans or kinako (roasted soybean flour).
Drinks include the Koji Strawberry Smoothie, which combines amazake and strawberries, as well as amazake drinks that change with the seasons. Among the sweets, the soy sauce koji chiffon cake and millet dumplings are popular, and one of Kura Cafe’s charms is that you can easily stop by for a casual snack.
Lunch features a menu that maximizes the flavor of soy sauce, but reservations are required. Please inquire by phone (029-272-3776). The interior, converted from a traditional storehouse, includes a small historical gallery displaying soy sauce labels from past generations, allowing you to feel the history of Kurosawa Soy Sauce while selecting products.
2026 Event — Learn About Soy Sauce and Fermented Foods at a Fermentation Class
Our popular annual fermentation workshop will be held as a six-session program from March to May 2026. With a limited capacity of 10 participants on a first-come, first-served basis, the course fee is 46,200 yen (tax included). A 2,200 yen discount applies to applications submitted in January.
The curriculum begins with the basics of fermentation and koji, then delves into the worlds of amazake, natto, sake, and soy sauce. A key feature of the program is its hands-on approach, which includes not only classroom learning but also field trips—such as a tour of a natto warehouse led by a “Natto Doctor,” a sake brewery tour, and a tour of the soy sauce warehouse at Kurosawa Soy Sauce. The final session provides an opportunity for each participant to present the fermented foods they have created themselves.
To register, please call (029-272-3776). This course is recommended for those who wish to incorporate fermented foods into their daily lives or expand their culinary horizons.
Access to Kurosawa Soy Sauce Shop and Nearby Sightseeing
Located along National Route 245, it’s easily accessible by car. With several signs reading “Kurosawa Soy Sauce” and “Soy Sauce Soft Serve,” even first-time visitors can find their way without getting lost. Parking is available for a few cars in front of the store, and there is a large space in the back where tour buses can park.
If you’re combining this with sightseeing in Hitachinaka City, a popular route is to enjoy fresh seafood at Nakaminato Osakana Ichiba (about a 15–20-minute drive away) and then stop by Kurosawa Soy Sauce Shop for souvenirs. Hitachi Seaside Park, known for Nemophila in spring and Kochia in autumn, is also about a 20-minute drive away.
Some products are also available for purchase online and can be ordered through the official online shop (fujini-shouyu.ocnk.net). This is a convenient option for repeat customers living far away.