Temple Cooking with a Fermentation Master in a Brewery Town

Join us for an unforgettable day in a historic brewery town just north of Kyoto, where you’ll discover Japan’s deep-rooted fermentation culture and experience temple life through hands-on cooking. Led by a knowledgeable local guide, this tour offers an immersive look into rural traditions, local craftsmanship, and everyday culture that have been sustained for centuries.

The highlight of the tour is a fermentation-focused cooking workshop held at Myorakuji, a 600-year-old temple registered as a tangible cultural property. There, you’ll step into the temple kitchen with Noriko, the wife of the head priest and a widely respected local fermentation master. Far beyond a home cook, Noriko is active in community-based food initiatives, has appeared in media, and continues to share her deep knowledge of fermentation with others through workshops, writing, and outreach. Her approach to food is grounded in Buddhist teachings—connecting daily nourishment with gratitude, mindful living, and respect for the gift of life.

To reach this unique setting, our journey begins at JR Maibara Station (bullet trains stop here). From there, your guide will accompany you on a 24-minute train ride north to JR Kinomoto Station, followed by a short walk to Myorakuji, where the cooking experience begins. The temple grounds and buildings—registered as national tangible cultural heritage—provide a tranquil and meaningful environment for this special encounter.

During the workshop, you’ll prepare simple seasonal dishes with a focus on traditional fermentation techniques. While the experience is inspired by otoki ryori—Buddhist meals shared at memorial gatherings in the Jodo Shinshu (True Pure Land) tradition—the actual menu varies and reflects Noriko’s unique and evolving approach to temple cuisine. Meals often incorporate homemade miso, pickles, and seasonings, along with soy sauce and sake sourced from local breweries. Ingredients are often grown locally or even offered by temple visitors, reinforcing the sense of connection between food, people, and community.

Rather than spending the entire time cooking, the experience also includes learning about the temple’s historically significant fermentation storehouse and exploring the broader context of local food culture. The hands-on cooking session lasts about an hour and focuses on simple, seasonal dishes—but we’re happy to tailor the content for culinary professionals or those with a deep interest in fermentation.

This flexible, rooted style of cooking allows us to accommodate vegetarian, vegan, or other dietary preferences with advance notice. Please let us know your needs at the time of booking.

After enjoying your meal, we’ll take a walking tour through the charming brewery town of Kinomoto. We’ll visit one or two family-run sake breweries—both among the oldest still in operation in Japan—as well as a traditional soy sauce maker. You may recognize some of the same ingredients you used in the cooking session.

Kinomoto, once a post town along a historic Edo-period trail, is rich in water, history, and hospitality. While it has avoided mass tourism, its family-run fermentation businesses and deep cultural roots remain active to this day. Unlike large-group sake tours, this experience is about meeting the people behind the products—learning their stories, seeing their craft, and tasting their legacy. (Please note: Alcohol tastings are for guests aged 20 or older.)

Depending on the day, we may also visit a nearby temple or stop by neighborhood shops, such as traditional confectioneries and bakeries loved by locals. Your guide—also a member of the local community—will help you explore the richness of this vibrant and quietly proud town.

About Kinomoto Town

Kinomoto-juku is one of Japan’s shukuba-machi (medieval lodging towns along Japan’s historic travel routes) in Nagahama, Shiga, where some of the original centuries-old traditional businesses are still operating today. Breweries for sake and soy sauce were particularly successful here thanks to an abundant underground source of pure water from the Ibuki Mountain Range. Located right at the junction of North, East, and West Japan, this area has cold winters ideal for sake production, and also served as a shukuba trade hub, with ready access to local ingredients.

Situated on the Hokkoku Kaido, meaning the northern Japan trail, the town embodies a unique blend of northern and central Japanese cultures. Much of this local culture and historical charm is still seen here still today, as it has been largely preserved, including local family businesses which have continued traditional operations, without being transformed into tourist attractions.

Meet Local People

Myorakuji Temple (cooking workshop venue)

This temple was built around 600 years ago, and has since been cared for by 37 generations of head priests. Noriko Fujitani, the wife of the current head priest, together with other women of the community are also engaged in various activities to preserve local area food culture. In particular, they are focusing energy on a local food workshop, introducing authentic recipes of this area, using fresh vegetable, miso, pickles, etc. In this tour, they introduce the depth of local Japanese cooking as well as recipes you can try back at home!

Daiko Shoyu (soy sauce brewery)

Established in 1852, Daiko Shoyu has been operating as a family business for 6 generations. Kensuke Osugi is the current successor. Most soy sauce breweries now rely on modern production methods, but Daiko has continued using strictly traditional methods, which is quite rare nowadays.

Yamaji Shuzo (sake brewery)

Founded in 1532, Yamaji Shuzo is said to be the fourth oldest sake brewery still existing in Japan. The brewery and storefront both occupy a beautiful old traditional building. Yuko Yamaji, the wife of the current 13th generation successor, provides us with tastings of some of these different sakes in this tour (age 20 and over).

Tomita Shuzo (sake brewery)

Founded in 1534, Tomita Shuzo is said to be the fifth oldest sake brewery in Japan, after Yamaji Brewery. Their famed sake brand, Shichihonyari (lit. Seven Spears), has won high acclaim both here and abroad and they’re known for integrating a creative edge with respected traditions. The current master, Yasunobu Tomita, believes in local sourcing, making sake with almost all local ingredients from rice to water, for sake that’s both delicious and environmentally conscious.

Tsuruya Pan (bakery)

Founded in 1951, this bakery sells freshly baked breads, sweets, juice, coffee, etc. Beloved by locals, some locals have been coming here for three generations. The shop was founded by Hidetoshi Nishimura, who anticipated the post-war American influence on food culture, and seeing that the town lacked a bakery, decided to open his own, which soon became a local landmark.

Meet your guide right at the ticket gate of JR Maibara Station. By bullet train, Maibara is 1 stop east (20 min) from Kyoto. The guide will then join you for a short local train ride to Kinomoto, the actual tour site (fare paid by customers, but covered by JR Pass if you have one). The tour will conclude at Kinomoto Station.