Nihon Chomiryo Tabi
Inoue Shoyuten Okuizumo Triple-Koji Rice Miso (井上醤油店 奥出雲三倍糀米みそ)
The story behind it
Inoue Shoyuten in Okuizumo was founded in 1867. The brewery carries on rice koji (the fermentation culture Aspergillus oryzae) techniques handed down since the late Edo period. Okuizumo has good soil and water, and a wide gap between day and night temperatures, which suits fermentation.
As the name says, this miso is brewed with three times the usual amount of koji. More koji brings the sweetness of the rice forward, so the salt loses its edge and the flavor turns round. The ingredients are Japanese whole soybeans, Japanese rice and salt, with no preservatives and no alcohol. That is also why it needs refrigeration.
Taste it alongside the same brewery's Koshiki Joyu and the thinking behind their work becomes clear.
How to use it
Use it for miso soup, and lean on the koji sweetness for miso-marinated fish or meat. It is also good eaten as is, dabbed on raw vegetables such as cucumber.