Shoubun Vinegar Laboratory Event

Shobunsu (Shobun Vinegar) Laboratory Event and Traditional Japanese Course Dinner with Vinegar

Jojima in Okawa is well known for having abundant water suitable for making Japanese sake. The history of Shobunsu started around 3rd century here. This is the fourteenth generation since the recipe of how to make vinegar is written and kept as family secret. The taste has been carefully inherited and has since won trust from many.

Seitaro Takahashi, fifteenth-generation proprietor of Shobun Vinegar Co., Ltd., has made it his mission to develop new rice vinegar products for everyday use. He likens vinegar-making to raising a child, an undertaking that requires loving care.
Shobun’s vinegar is made according to traditional methods. For example, its black vinegar made from organic brown rice contains only rice, water and koji mold. It is fermented and aged in crocks half-buried in earth, just as it was in days past.
Shobun offers a wide range of vinegar products including vinegar drinks, vinegar cider and salad dressings. The company’s store and storehouse for aging vinegar, erected in 1759, are a popular sightseeing destination too. Happo-en offers a vinegar cocktail made using Shobun vinegar.