"Miso" soup is an essential on Japanese dining tables.

"Miso" is a seasoning that lends dishes a mellow flavor and aroma.

This fermented paste is made from soybeans, salt, and "koji" mold.

"Miso" has sustained the Kyoto diet for more than a millennium.

It's so familiar, that drinking it
comforts and relaxes me.

A white "miso" that evolved within ancient dynastic culture 1,000 years ago is a favorite in Kyoto.

It is used in traditional Kyoto cooking and celebratory dishes, such as those served at New Year.

Some Kyoto "miso" brewers emphasize natural fermentation in wooden barrels, over machines.

It's quite straightforward in terms of
procedure and flavor, and it's fun.

More chefs are now using "miso" in non-Japanese cuisine, too.

I think you can use it to make
interesting dishes in any country.

"Miso" is another way to convey the best
of Japan to people around the world.

Core Kyoto dives into the "miso" food culture cultivated in the ancient capital.

This may look like a selection of ice cream but it is all "miso."

This Kyoto store procures 40 varieties of "miso" from across Japan.

Just as each region has its own cooking,
each has its own distinctive "miso."

"Miso" can be divided into three main types: rice "miso," soybean "miso," and barley "miso."

The type of "miso" used varies by region.

Rice "miso" is most commonly used in Kyoto.

With rice "miso," the longer it matures,
the darker it gets.

Rice "miso" comes in various colors and flavors and is the standard "miso" across Japan

accounting for 80 percent of "miso" shipments.

Soybean "miso," which is matured for one to three years, has a strong "umami" and rich flavor, and is very dark.

Barley "miso" is characterized by the sweetness and aroma of barley.

Its aging period is short and the barley grains give it a chunky texture.

Everyone remembers the taste
of the "miso" they ate as kids,

so I think "miso" is
a Japanese "soul food."

"Itadakimasu."

"Miso" soup appears on the Kato family dining table, every day.

They mainly use rice "miso."

It calms and relaxes me.

It's like a symbol of family harmony.
It's comforting having -

"miso" soup and its aroma
at the dinner table.

- Is it tasty?
- Yes, and it's warm.

Bye.

Close the door.

After breakfast, the work day begins.

Kato Masatsugu runs a "miso" brewery that was established over a century ago.

He took over operations of the small brewery 20 years ago,

and he is helped by his mother, his wife, and a childhood friend.

He uses wooden barrels, which were first used when the brewery was established,

and he upholds traditional "miso"-making methods.

This is all
naturally fermented "miso."

The lid is sealed tight for a year, so I get
nervous every time I open a barrel.

He is opening a barrel of rice "miso" that has matured for 15 months.

It's a beautiful color.

I'm very relieved.

It fermented well, and it has
all the elements of "miso."

I want to eat some now.

They transfer the two tons of "miso" from the barrel to make way for a new batch.

"Miso" is produced in the cold winter months to allow for slow fermentation.

Rice "miso" is made from soybeans, salt, and the key ingredient rice "koji."

"Koji" is an edible variety of mold.

Rice "koji" is made by inoculating rice with "koji" and allowing it to propagate deep into the rice grains.

Japan's warm and humid climate is ideal for breeding "koji,"

which is also used to make soy sauce, "sake," and other fermented foods.

Whereas many breweries use machines, Kato puts much time and effort into making the rice "koji" by hand, the old-fashioned way.

First, he steams rice, which has been soaked overnight.

He then transfers the rice to the "koji" table for cooling.

Handling 200 kilograms of rice is a big job.

It's strenuous.

This is truly the old-fashioned way
of making "koji."

Kato scatters the "koji" over the rice once it cools to about body temperature -

the right temperature for the mold to breed easily.

When the "koji" is thoroughly mixed through the rice,

the mixture is left overnight in the "koji" room with a controlled temperature and humidity.

The next day, Kato loosens the hardened rice.

If it solidifies, the "koji" doesn't
permeate the middle.

This has to be done
for the entire 200kg.

It is then transferred into hundred-year-old trays for the mold to propagate.

"Koji" requires plenty of oxygen, so the process demands constant attention

and is mixed every five to six hours to ensure there is enough.

It's extremely delicate.

It must be shifted around every hour.

Yesterday before we cut my daughter's
birthday cake, I rushed over to do this first.

On the third day, the rice "koji" is ready, covered in bacterial threads.

Another essential ingredient for "miso" is soybeans.

The beans are boiled for three hours, then mashed together with the rice "koji" and salt.

Before he places the mash in the barrels, Kato performs a custom.

We spread purifying salt on the bottom
and inside for the "miso" to turn out good.

It's like a good luck charm.

Now, to fill the barrel with mash.

The entire process is repeated over days until the barrel contains two tons of "miso" mash.

The wood has lots of tiny holes.

The necessary, salt-resistant bacteria
enter through them and live in the "miso."

In other words, Kyoto's climate
and the microorganisms -

the rest is left to them.
We've done our bit.

The lactic acid bacteria and yeast bacteria that live in the wooden barrels and the building itself

bring out the "umami" and sweetness of the soybeans and rice.

Hence, the taste of the resulting "miso," which is matured for over a year, is unique to this brewery.

Kato took over the family business when he was 20 years of age

and a university student after his father took ill.

I was young, and everyone
my age was out having fun.

I wondered why only I
had to work like this.

I knew nothing,
so I had to study.

I worked hard, really hard,
and 10 years passed in a flash.

After experiencing how taxing "miso" making could be,

Kato came to appreciate his father more and feel gratitude toward him.

He follows one of his father's customs.

That is to write the words, "arigatou gozaimasu" on top of the finished "miso."

Infinite, invisible bacteria
float around our place.

If we show our gratitude to these bacteria,
it will be a good batch of "miso."

Dad taught me that if I write it,
it will be conveyed to them.

Gratitude for everything. That gratitude is
packed in "arigato gozaimasu."

As I write it, I think of my father.
How could I not?

Delicious "miso" is the product of the symbiosis between the brewery's microorganisms and Kato's dedicated efforts.

One a la carte Japanese restaurant makes soup the attraction.

A popular meal features five side dishes and Japanese-style pilaf.

For the soup, the customers choose the type of "miso" and the ingredients to their liking.

We serve soup as the main dish.

There was once
a custom called "shiruko."

The guest of honor would serve "miso" soup
to their guests who brought along their own rice.

Likewise, we convey our hospitality
through a bowl of "miso" soup.

Kodo Shuuhei runs the restaurant.

He uses "miso" in many of his dishes, not just soup.

One type of "miso" he stocks is white "miso," which has a low salt content and a sweet flavor.

White "miso" originated and further developed
in Kyoto, so it is essential for Kyoto cuisine.

In the ancient capital 1,000 years ago, the nobility preferred less salty, sweeter flavors over rich foods.

This led to the development of white "miso."

One dish in which Kodou uses white "miso" is scallions dressed with vinegared "miso."

Vinegar, Japanese mustard, sugar, and soy sauce are added to the white "miso,"

and the sauce is then mixed with squid and scallions.

Scallions have a pungent flavor.

The "miso" negates that.

Another dish is "miso"-marinated Japanese Spanish mackerel.

The fish is marinated for five days in a mixture of sake, mirin, white "miso," and other seasonings.

It is charcoal-grilled,
so it tastes a little smoky.

The "miso" chars, making it
aromatic and delicious.

This humble seasoning has broadened the range of Japanese cuisine and delights the palates of Kyotoites.

This brewery specializing in white "miso" was established 240 years ago.

Their production process is mostly mechanized, but they continue to honor traditional values.

Rice "koji," soybeans and salt - the ingredients may be the same as those for rice "miso,"

but the process differs.

The key word is "white."

They only use white hilum soybeans.

The part attached to the pod stains
the "miso" and is called a white hilums.

We ensure our miso is white
by not using colored hilums.

They use pristine groundwater to boil the soybeans.

The boiling water along with the scum is allowed to spill over so as to keep the beans white.

This method is distinct to the white "miso" production process.

The boiled soybeans are mixed with the rice "koji" and salt, but the proportions differ.

Using twice as much rice "koji" compared to regular "miso" brings out the sweetness.

All of the white "miso"'s sweetness
comes from the rice.

Usually, the power of the "koji" breaks down
the soybean protein to produce "miso."

But white "miso" is different. The rice itself
dissolves and converts into sugars.

The aging time is short - between seven to 10 days.

The "koji" enzymes convert the starch in the rice to sugar to give white "miso" its unique sweetness.

Last, the mash is ground and strained to produce a smooth, pale-cream-colored "miso."

Once again, Happy New Year, everyone.

White "miso" is used in meals served on special occasions in Kyoto.

At New Year, white "miso zoni," which contains "mochi" rice cakes, tubers and "daikon,"

has traditionally been eaten in prayer for household safety and bumper crops.

In bygone eras, mainly the nobility ate white "miso" as it was a luxury product made from precious rice.

The desire to evoke the good fortune of dynastic culture through white "miso zoni" continues in Kyoto today.

Saga-Arashiyama, a major tourist spot, has a restaurant that specializes in producing and serving fermented foods.

It is run by Seki Megumi.

Their signature meal is the "Eight Fermented Dishes"

that includes "nattou," or "koji"-fermented soybeans; pickles; kimchee; and fish pickled in rice bran.

We aim to be a gateway into
the world of fermentation.

Fermentation is a symbol of life,

so we want to spread the word that making and
eating such foods makes us more energetic.

Seki feels the power of fermentation most in "miso," over all other fermented foods.

The taste of "miso" is extremely complex.
It can be slightly sour, savory, or sweet.

You can drink it every day
and never tire of it.

"Miso" soup is the foundation
of the Japanese diet.

It is truly an amazing food.

Seki and her staff promote the appeal of "miso" through "home "miso"-making kits" and "miso"-making workshops.

However, with the Westernization of the Japanese diet,

the amount of "miso" consumed in Japan has dropped to about half that of 50 years ago.

There, Seki conceived the idea of "fresh miso balls" to make it easier for people on the go to enjoy "miso" soup every day.

Normally, "miso" is dissolved in a "dashi" stock to make soup.

The "miso" balls use a blend of two types of "miso"

made from green soybeans aged for different lengths of time.

Powdered Japanese anchovy and bonito flakes are added in lieu of "dashi" stock,

so all that is needed for a simple "miso" soup is hot water.

Seki does not use heat when making the balls to ensure the microorganisms in the "miso" are living.

We were conscious of portability at
the conception stage, so we made them round.

"Miso" soup in the office and the mountains,
anywhere, even after disasters.

I want to again increase the number
of people who eat and make "miso."

People from overseas visit Kato Masatsugu's traditional "miso" brewery.

From Taiwan.

Cooking anything "miso" is good.

Domestic "miso" consumption may be dropping,

but "miso" exports are soaring on the back of the popularity of Japanese cuisine around the world.

I'm glad people overseas have a high appreciation
of traditional things, like wooden barrels.

This will hopefully spur Japanese
to reevaluate the "miso" process.

We should look outside Japanese cuisine
for "miso"'s potential to make food tastier.

On this day, Kato took some of his "miso" to a friend's Italian restaurant.

Omoto Hiroshi cooks his Italian cuisine with a Japanese twist,

using Kyoto produce and ingredients, and Japanese seasonings.

Kato held a tasting event with the restaurant staff,

focusing on Italian dishes made with "miso" and aiming to broaden "miso"'s potential abroad.

The first dish highlights the flavor of soybean "miso."

A sauce made with the "miso" is drizzled over beef braised in red wine.

You can feel the richness
of the soybean "miso."

Butter is generally used in Western cooking.
I swapped the butter's richness for that of "miso."

It is also salty, so it rounds off the dish
without extra salt and seasonings.

It goes well together.
Soybean "miso" is like butter.

It has the highest fat content of all "miso"
and has a strong savory taste.

Next, a pasta dish that highlights the rich sweetness of white "miso."

For the sauce, white "miso" is dissolved in a Japanese littleneck clam soup.

The pasta is topped with mozzarella and sea urchin when served.

- A new type of "zoni."
- Spot on.

- Cheese replaces the "mochi."
- Exactly.

The inspiration was the "zoni" eaten at New Year in Kyoto.

"Itadakimasu."

- Absolutely delicious.
- I'm glad.

- I think it's a good match.
- It is.

Last, white "miso" was used in the wafer and ice cream for the dessert.

Delicious. Amazing.

"Miso" can be blended with different ingredients
for desserts. Expanding its potential is interesting.

"Miso" is not well known abroad,
so if we introduce new recipes using it,

it will probably become
a standard seasoning.

In that sense,
"miso" has much potential.

It's exciting,
and it motivates me.

Kyotoites harnessed the power of invisible bacteria to produce "miso."

Born from nature and tradition,

this seasoning enriches Kyoto food culture and continues to inspire innovative recipes.