A Must-do For All Foodies & Lovers of Traditional Japanese Cuisine!

Made from fermented soybeans, “miso” is a staple of every Japanese kitchen and most restaurants. Known for its complexity of flavors - salty, savory and wondrously delicious - miso is also very good for you due to its high content of nutrients and probiotics. Best known for its use in making “miso shiru” (miso soup), the complexity of the paste lends itself to a wide range of uses. Something you will come to appreciate on this tasty tour that takes you inside one of Matsumoto’s most celebrated miso breweries. One thing is for certain, once you’ve tried the traditionally made miso of Matsumoto, it’ll be hard going back to eating mass-produced miso!

A guided Tour of Traditions & Tastes

As one of the few traditional miso makers remaining in Japan, our local miso brewery is a must-visit for anyone interested in Japanese food culinary traditions. Led by a brewery worker, you’ll be guided through each step of brewing miso including inspection of the brewery’s impressive rows of one hundred year old cedar fermentation barrels.

Each step will be explained along with the variation in fermentation periods which results in a diversity of flavors and miso varieties. After all, Nagano Prefecture is Japan’s largest producer of miso making it the ideal place to learn everything about it. Following your guided tour of the brewery, you will sit down to a miso-based lunch.

Enjoy a Traditional Miso-based Lunch Menu

The menu includes miso rice balls, miso pickles and traditional “tonjiru” (pork miso soup). Sounds a little repetitive? Far from it! Your lunch menu is designed to demonstrate the diversity and complexity of tastes that can be produced using miso, including miso fermented for one year and three years respectively. After lunch, you’ll have the chance to visit the brewery’s shop if you’d like to purchase items to take home. Their soft-serve miso ice cream is a highlight, along with other tasty treats available at the brewery.

The tour finishes with a short stop at the Matsumoto City Museum of Art, one of the city’s key cultural highlights and the best place to learn about Yayoi Kusama in Matsumoto. Her signature world of polka dots, mirrored infinity rooms, and dreamlike motifs has made her one of Japan’s most internationally celebrated contemporary artists. Your guide shares the essentials of her story, her connection to Matsumoto, and the museum’s Kusama collection. The tour does not include a full museum visit, but you are welcome to enter and explore independently afterward if time allows (the museum is closed on Mondays and some Tuesdays).

Your English-Speaking Guide & Tour Experience

Your English-Japanese bilingual guide serves as your cultural interpreter and tour coordinator throughout the experience. While the miso brewery tour itself is authentically conducted by the skilled artisans who make the product daily, most brewery staff conduct tours in Japanese only. Your guide will provide real-time translation to ensure you understand every detail of the traditional brewing process, from the century-old cedar fermentation barrels to the nuances of different miso varieties.

Our service handles all advance reservations (required for brewery access), guarantees your spot, provides English-speaking guide assistance, and includes premium lunch components not available to walk-in visitors. Our guides coordinate timing with the brewery staff, accompany you on a short guided walking tour before and after the brewery visit through parts of historic Matsumoto, and ensure a seamless experience from station pickup to drop-off.

Join Our Matsumoto's Local Breweries Tour!

Known as “sakagura” in Japanese, sake breweries employ a similar fermentation method as that used in miso breweries, meaning that many breweries produce both miso and sake. Nagano Prefecture is Japan’s second largest producer of sake and blessed with abundant rice fields and pristine water, Matsumoto produces some of Japan’s best sake. We recommend combining our Local Miso Brewery Tour & Traditional Lunch with a local sake brewery tour, creating an all-day exploration of Matsumoto’s rich food and culture.

Local Sake Brewery Tour & Guided Tasting

SAKE TOUR

Additional Information

Pick-up: Begin your tour at Matsumoto Station. Your guide will pick you up at 11:00am for a short 15-20min walk to the Miso Brewery.

Group Type: Group Tour (Private Tour Option available)

Allergies: Please let us know if you have any food allergies or restrictions when booking

Important information:

• Access to Ishii Miso Brewery's shop is free of charge to the public. Refer to the Ishii Miso Brewery's official website for more information.
• The brewery requires advance reservations for the tour and special lunch combination. This may not be available to walk-in visitors.
• Tours are often conducted by brewery staff in Japanese and occasionally English. English speaking brewery staff is not guaranteed. Your guide provides translation.
• Miso is a fermented product and may contain trace amounts of alcohol
• Your ability to take it into your home country may therefore be restricted or prohibited. Each country's customs rules are different and your guide nor the brewery can advise you in relation to taking miso back to your home country. Should you wish to do so, please check you home country's custom information in advance.
• The brewery is at times busy due to cleaning, brewing or other activities and some areas may be off-limits to our tour on the day of your tour.
• the brewery is located around 15 to 20 minutes walk from Matsumoto Station. On the day of the tour, you will be accompanied there by your guide.
• The tour concludes at the Matsumoto City Museum of Art with an introduction to Yayoi Kusama. Museum entry and interior tours are not included
• Museum opening hours are subject to change without notice. Visitors may explore the museum independently after the tour

The tour itinerary includes the following:

• Walk from Matsumoto Station to the Miso Brewery - 15 minutes
• Miso Brewery Tour & Miso-based Lunch - 90 minutes
• Introduction to the Matsumoto City Museum of Art (permanent Yayoi Kusama collection) - 15 minutes

Please note, the above times are estimates and that the tour may end earlier or later.

Cancellation Policy: To receive a full refund, cancel up to 24 hours before the experience start date in the local time zone. No refunds will be given after that time period.

Terms & Conditions: Please read our Terms & Conditions