Last Sunday, we visited the Kikkoman Soy Sauce Museum in Noda City, Chiba. Noda’s climate and location have made it the ideal place for soy sauce production since the Edo period. The museum, where we can learn everything about the well-known seasoning, is located inside the factory. Kikkoman provides an hour of the factory tour, for which we had a reservation in the afternoon. When we arrived, our noses were immediately filled with the smell of shoyu (ι€ζ²Ή). We were taking pictures with Naani-chan (γͺγγ«γ‘γγ), Kikkoman’s cute little mascot, when our tour guide started gathering us for the tour.
Admission to the Kikkoman Soy Sauce Museum is free. You can visit certain facilities in the factory without making any reservations. For example, the main hall, history corner, gift shop, exhibit area, and Mame Cafe, etc.
About the Factory Tour
However, if you want to join the factory tour, you will be required to call them to make your reservation. Please visit Kikkoman’s museum website or download their PDF for more information (English version available). Here is the rundown of the factory tour, which I took from the official brochure.
Mummy’s Hidden Agenda
My husband always questions my real motive for wanting to go to certain places for our family trips. Yes, he knows me well. I was there SOLELY for the soy sauce flavored ice creams!!! π They are yummy! The Mame cafe sells two types of ice cream – Soy Sauce soft cream / Soymilk with Soy Sauce soft cream. I personally prefer the ones with the soymilk.
At the cafe, they also offer free tastings of different seasonings. But best of all, they surprised us when they gave each of us a bottle of NAMA Soy Sauce at the end of the tour. We ended up with five bottles for our family. Yippee! β‘
