Miso (fermented soybean paste) is a traditional Japanese seasoning used in many everyday Japanese dishes such as miso soup. In this tour, you will experience the traditional way of making miso from soybeans together with local farmers’ wives. You can take home some of the miso you make to let it ferment in your own home. You can also enjoy a farm lunch made with farm fresh vegetables.

Highlights

• Experience making miso (fermented soybean paste) together with farmer’s wives
• Take home some of the miso you made for your own home cooking
• Try making potato dumplings and miso soup, and enjoy a sumptuous farm lunch

This activity takes place in Tokachi Toyama Farm, a crop farm in Obihiro City with vast fields stretching at the foot of the Hidaka mountain range. In winter, it becomes a world of white as the fields get covered in snow. It is during this season that many farmers make miso using their own harvested soybeans.

After first learning all about soybean cultivation, you will try to make miso on your own using the freshly boiled soybeans of Tokachi Toyama Farm. 

To make the miso, you will mash the boiled soybeans into a paste, mix it with rice koji and salt, then knead it thoroughly before packing it tightly in a container for fermentation.

The traditional way of making miso can be quite arduous, but it will make you appreciate one of the most common ingredients in Japanese cuisine. If you wish, you can take home some of the miso you made to let it ferment in your home (just leave it in a cool, dry place for around six months).

After the miso-making experience, you will help prepare a healthy farm lunch. Try your hand at making miso soup, an essential part of a traditional Japanese meal. You can also make local delicacies like imo-dango (potato dumplings), a common dish enjoyed by Tokachi farmers. 

Savor the flavors of Tokachi with a sumptuous farm lunch while interacting with the local farmers’ wives.

Note: All images are for illustration purposes only. Your actual experience may vary.

Schedule

9:30	Meetup at Tokachi Toyama Farm
9:35	Activity orientation, preparation
10:00	Miso-making experience
12:00	Lunch-making and farm lunch
13:30	Tour finish