Ishii Miso
Ishii Miso
4
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
Ishii Miso Co,Ltd was founded in 1868 (the end of the Edo era) and is still producing miso by a unique traditional natural method. Miso, soybean paste, is an essential ingredient in Japanese cuisine. We have miso soup every day and sometimes use it for other dishes. Miso is fermented food so it is very healthy. Nagano Prefecture where Matsumoto is included is the top producer of miso (46%) in Japan. Miso used to be made in homes. But now, many Japanese don't know or find out how to make miso. We use wooden barrels to ferment miso, which is also unique. Normally the barrels are plastic or metal, but wooden barrels enable air to permeate so they are good for fermentation. Many foreigners visit this brewery even though it does not appear in guide books and there is no English website.
Duration: < 1 hour
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4.0
44 reviews
Excellent
19
Very good
18
Average
4
Poor
0
Terrible
3
Robert Matsuoka
New York City, NY913 contributions
Sept 2023 • Couples
We walked in on a random Sunday and the place was very quiet. Asked about a tour and a tall, distinguished gentleman said follow me. Turns out he is Mr. Ishii, 5th generation proprietor of this factory. And he gave us a delightful hour long tour and answered all of our questions. We finished with a delicious bowl of miso (of course) complementary, then paid for a couple of also delicious miso soft-serve ice creams. Really a gem of a place, and if you're a fermentation or miso fan -- a must see! We were carry only only or we would have brought home a kg of this delicious miso for use at home.
Written 23 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
LieselotteM
Malmö, Sweden40 contributions
Jul 2016 • Couples
Upon arrival we received a little miso soup as a tasting. Then the owner of the business showed us the room where the cedar barrels are stored and gave a good explanation on miso and the brewing process. The owner and staff were very friendly. There's a nice shop as well where you can buy their own brewed miso and other products.
Written 28 July 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Luigi_Fino
Tokyo, Japan453 contributions
Nov 2019
We were greeted by the president of the company who explained the history of his factory and his concept of premium miso, which is quite different from the average industrial product that you buy at the supermarket. Although not a big fan of miso miself, I deeply appreciated the tasty meal and would like to add that visiting this place is a must when staying in Matsumoto.
Written 4 November 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Est, est, est
Thank you very mauch for visiting Ishiimiso.
We apprecieate that you enjoyed our guide tour and Miso lunch.We are glad to hear that you found the difference between our premium miso and the average products!!
We look foward to serving you again.
Best Regards,
Written 6 November 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
mvasu
Miami, FL32 contributions
Aug 2018 • Friends
Stopped over for lunch, got a cool info tour by the owner as well.
Super delicious lunch set, worth the visit. And if you are new to Japan interesting info.
Recommended for sure :)
Super delicious lunch set, worth the visit. And if you are new to Japan interesting info.
Recommended for sure :)
Written 21 August 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Emily K
8 contributions
Oct 2017 • Couples
We wound up with an extra half-day in Matsumoto at the last minute. It was too rainy and chilly to spend much time outside, and this seemed like a good stop after visiting the castle / before we were hungry enough for lunch. It fit the bill perfectly.
Within minutes of arriving we were taken through the facility by a guide with excellent English and given plenty of opportunities to take photos and ask questions. Since we did not book in advance (and since I have some dietary restrictions) we could not stay for lunch, but we did enjoy sampling the soup and my husband enjoyed sampling some of the other goodies for sale. We were also surprised at how reasonably priced the miso was, and brought some back home with us as a souvenir. It traveled well and I wish we would have brought more to give as gifts.
Within minutes of arriving we were taken through the facility by a guide with excellent English and given plenty of opportunities to take photos and ask questions. Since we did not book in advance (and since I have some dietary restrictions) we could not stay for lunch, but we did enjoy sampling the soup and my husband enjoyed sampling some of the other goodies for sale. We were also surprised at how reasonably priced the miso was, and brought some back home with us as a souvenir. It traveled well and I wish we would have brought more to give as gifts.
Written 22 February 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
HotEarth
Melbourne, Australia682 contributions
Apr 2016 • Couples
After some questioning around for direction, I found this place. That was about 8am. Its interesting to see them preparing a new load in the huge barrel for fermenting. The rest of the miso barrels clearly marked at various durations of fermentation are housed in two buildings.I was welcomed with a bowl of nice and warm miso soup followed by green tea by the nice and courteous staff. I decided to have a cone of miso icecream...something unique! Its actually quite sweet and creamy, with a tinge of tofu and very light saltishness. A great visit to this extra ordinary place if you want a break from the norm to experience part of real japan!
Written 12 April 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
CY_Hen
Singapore, Singapore3 contributions
Dec 2014 • Solo
I came here on a tour package that I have booked with Dynasty Travel. This wasn't on the itinerary but the Tour Guide decided to bring the group to this brewery for lunch since it was around the premise of the Matsumotojo.
The impromptu tour of the brewery was a relatively short one and touched briefly on the methods that the brewery practiced in making miso. We had our lunch in the dining hall located within the retail section of the brewery.
We were served a stew made from the dark miso, pork and vegetables. It was hearty and deeply satisfying, especially in the winter temperature. The dark miso gave the soup an appetite whetting tartness while the mellow flavours of the fermented bean paste unified all the ingredients together like a patriarch overseeing the harmony of his family. The meal ended with a white miso ice cream which was a very pleasant surprise.
The miso is available for retail there and needless to say, I bought some back to Singapore.
The impromptu tour of the brewery was a relatively short one and touched briefly on the methods that the brewery practiced in making miso. We had our lunch in the dining hall located within the retail section of the brewery.
We were served a stew made from the dark miso, pork and vegetables. It was hearty and deeply satisfying, especially in the winter temperature. The dark miso gave the soup an appetite whetting tartness while the mellow flavours of the fermented bean paste unified all the ingredients together like a patriarch overseeing the harmony of his family. The meal ended with a white miso ice cream which was a very pleasant surprise.
The miso is available for retail there and needless to say, I bought some back to Singapore.
Written 10 November 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tilt-scale-gyro
Pitmedden, UK451 contributions
May 2024 • Couples
Upon arrival we had a lecture + question and answer session on Miso production amongst massive barrels of maturing miso. We enjoyed the lunch at their Miso Gura restaurant and indeed bought some bottles as well as their miso dressing to take home.
Written 14 June 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
J&S_Singapore
Singapore, Singapore5,462 contributions
Apr 2024 • Friends
An interesting itinerary in our Tour package. Ishii Miso Co,Ltd was founded in 1868 and is presently managed by the 6th Generation team. They are famous and pride themselves for still producing miso by a unique traditional natural method. Their non-compromising mode (though time and labour consuming) made their products stand out amongst the rest! We had a briefing by the leadership which explained the production process including aging it in cedar barrels for 3 years.
Miso or soybean paste is an essential ingredient in Japanese food culture and just imagine the miso soup almost every meal/day we had here on our tour so far. Miso sometimes is being used for other dishes too to augment the health & enhance cuisine umami!
We even have our tour group lunch here, with miso as a main ingredient. A hearty meal featuring tonjiru (miso soup with pork and vegetables) made with Ishii's three-year miso paste, a miso-grilled rice, miso pickles, salad.
The tour ended with a visit to the merchandise portion and we even tried the 300 Yen delicious soft-serve flavored with Ishii's 3-year miso. I bought some miso-biscuits, with jam.
With the better understanding I think I’ll support miso much more for its healthier stance!
Miso or soybean paste is an essential ingredient in Japanese food culture and just imagine the miso soup almost every meal/day we had here on our tour so far. Miso sometimes is being used for other dishes too to augment the health & enhance cuisine umami!
We even have our tour group lunch here, with miso as a main ingredient. A hearty meal featuring tonjiru (miso soup with pork and vegetables) made with Ishii's three-year miso paste, a miso-grilled rice, miso pickles, salad.
The tour ended with a visit to the merchandise portion and we even tried the 300 Yen delicious soft-serve flavored with Ishii's 3-year miso. I bought some miso-biscuits, with jam.
With the better understanding I think I’ll support miso much more for its healthier stance!
Written 13 May 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Shlomi T
Nagano, Japan1,377 contributions
Oct 2019
Great place to learn about Miso and eat lunch.
The owner gave a very good explanation of the Miso industry in Japan and it was very interesting.
We bought some Miso at their excellent shop.
The owner gave a very good explanation of the Miso industry in Japan and it was very interesting.
We bought some Miso at their excellent shop.
Written 1 December 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Please advise if Ishii miso shop open on Saturdays.thank you.
Written 31 May 2017
How long is the tour and we have a group of 15 food enthusiasts.Can we do an informative talk about Miso production and ways to use miso?
Written 25 May 2016
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