Fermentation workshop in Nara, ancient capital of Japan
We have several fermentation classes for foreign koji lovers in English.
Koji is fermentated rice malt, which is very basic and important element for washoku seasonings in Japanese cuisine.
For 3 Day class, we learn key seasonings of washoku, Japanese cuisine, making several fermented foods and visiting local miso, shoyu, sake breweries in Nara.
"How can I make koji?" "Where can I buy soy bean koji malt?" "How to controle temperature and pH?"
Participants are all enthusiastically ask many questions regarding Japanese fermentation culture during 3-day workshop.
Itinerary
Starting from koji rice malt, we made shoyu, nattou, amazake, soy yogurt, and also tasted various fermented seasonings.
DAY1
Lunch: Medicinal herb lunch at Daiganji temple
Seminar：Basic knowledge of washoku and fermentation
Lesson 1: Koji & Shio-koji (salted koji malt)
Lesson 2: Soy milk yogurt
Lesson 3: Amazake
DAY 2
Field work: Shoyu & Sake breweries
Lesson 4: Plant hunting & Medicinal herb liquor
Lesson 5: Miso
Lesson 6: Nattou
DAY 3 Lesson 7: Shoyu (soy sauce) Lesson 8: Tofu
Uda city is the birth place of medicinal herb in Japan's history. We also tasted medicinal plants shojin ryori at Daiganji temple, and went for plant hunting with a local guide.
Textbook
20 pages of English text book about Fermentation in Japan. I think no other place in Japan organize such a lesson, deep-into fermentation.
We can organize this kind of events for a group of people, interested in fermentation (minimum and maximum member of participants: 4-15 persons). The price would be 260,000JPY per group (3-day lesson fee) + 10,000JPY per person (meals and ingredients), not including dinner and accommodation (7500JPY per person per night).
This is for a group activity, and not suitable for individual customers. If you are a solo traveler and intersted in fermentation, I would recommend this trip.