SAITAMA

Kinbue Syoyu Park

Experience the traditional craft of producing Japan’s most iconic condiment

Founded over 230 years ago in Saitama, Kinbue Syoyu preserves Japan’s wooden-barrel brewing tradition with craftsmanship and care, inviting visitors to taste, learn about, and carry forward the timeless flavor of authentic soy sauce.

Shopping Eat & Drink

Access

Step into a preserved Edo-era soy sauce brewery and discover how this humble condiment has carried the essence of Japan’s flavor through the centuries.

Founded in 1789, Kinbue Syoyu has been brewing for more than 230 years in Kawajima, Saitama Prefecture, just northwest of Tokyo. Once known as “Edo’s Kitchen,” the region supplied the capital of premodern Japan with its finest rice, sake, and seasonings. Today, Kinbue is led by 12th-generation brewer Kichigoro Fueki, who continues his family’s devotion to preserving Japan’s traditional flavor, guided by the spirit of “making soy sauce with dreams, passion, and purpose.”

Across Japan, the number of small soy sauce breweries continues to decline—some 15 to 30 close each year—and only about one percent of soy sauce is still brewed in wooden barrels. Yet at Kinbue, the time-honored method endures. Inside the brewery stand 38 massive kioke barrels, each nurtured through generations of use, the oldest dating back over 150 years. These barrels contain natural microorganisms that slowly develop the deep, layered umami unique to traditionally brewed soy sauce.

Because Japan now has fewer than fifty remaining craftspeople capable of making such barrels, Kinbue has even begun building its own, an effort rooted not only in necessity but in the desire to protect the intertwined traditions of brewing and barrel-making. Visitors to the brewery can share in this remarkable process, witnessing the quiet transformation of soybeans, wheat, and salt into the staple Japanese seasoning.

Kinbue’s on-site restaurant offers a chance to taste soy sauce straight from the barrel. The menu centers on freshly made udon noodles and local Kawajima rice, with dishes such as braised pork (kakuni) udon, crispy vegetable fritters (kakiage), and soy sauce-flavored soft serve. A highlight is the Soy Sauce Tasting Udon, where guests can sample several varieties of soy sauce side by side. The restaurant is open from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (last lunch orders at 2:00 p.m. on weekdays, 3:00 p.m. on weekends and holidays; café orders until 4:00 p.m.).

Before you leave, be sure to stop by the shop for souvenirs. Favorites include the Saishikomi Nama Shoyu, a double-fermented soy sauce aged three years for an exceptionally smooth finish, and the Kioke Baum, a baumkuchen cake subtly scented with soy sauce for a caramel-like aroma. As Kichigoro reflects, “For our children’s generation and beyond, we will do our utmost to carry forward this tradition of soy sauce brewed in wooden barrels.” At Kinbue, an everyday condiment becomes a vessel of craftsmanship and heritage, inviting visitors to taste, learn, and share in its living legacy.

Address

654 Kamiigusa, Kawajima Town, Saitama

Phone number

049-297-0917

Contact

For restaurant reservations, inquiries about Kinbue Syoyu Park, or group visits, please contact: yoyaku@kinbue.jp

Business hours

Business Hours: Weekdays 10:00–17:00 (The phone line may be difficult to reach around lunchtime)
Closed: None (open daily)
Shop: 10:00–17:00
Soy Sauce Brewery Restaurant: 11:00–17:00 (closes when noodles are sold out)

WEB site

https://kinbue-park.jp/

Digital Map