On December 5, 2025, I attended JFEX Winter at Makuhari Messe. The first series of booths that I encountered was comprised of companies from Gunma Prefecture, with products ranging from miso to yogurt and beyond. At drinkingjapan.org we have written about Gunma and its output many times. If you would like to see past entries, please type “Gunma” into the search bar.
All the products I sampled were noteworthy, but space limitations necessitate that I focus on only two. Say Inc.’s miso and miso-related products will be my focus this week and next. After that, I will look at a company whose produce is not normally associated with Japan.
Aside from being located in one of my favorite prefectures, there were a number of things that impressed me about Say, Inc. and its director/farmer, Mr. Masayuki Shimizu.
- the company is family-run;
- it is small;
- their production process is unmechanized;
- the products do not contain preservatives or other additives;
- Mr. Shimizu is a “certified miso sommelier”; and
- he speaks English very well.
Say is located in Tomioka, which is famous for its Silk Mill. The company produces four miso powders, essentially condiments that can be paired with and sprinkled on dishes, both Western and Japanese. However, as the subtitle suggests, I will focus on their miso, the star of the show, so to speak. This will be done in next week’s entry.
Drinking Japan 