Japanese Soy Sauce Maker Kikkoman’s 20-yr Initiative Fosters Child Nutritional Understanding

By Eugene Oharu / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

16:35 JST, March 29, 2026

CHIBA — An initiative aimed at teaching elementary school students in Chiba Prefecture and other regions about soy sauce production and its appeal marked its 20th anniversary last year.

Run by soy sauce industry leader Kikkoman Corp. in Noda in the prefecture, the soy sauce school “Shoyu” aims to further popularize soy sauce by familiarizing children with the product from an early age and help foster an understanding of food culture.

“Hello, I’m the ‘Soy Sauce Doctor.’ Can you think of foods that use soy sauce?” Shuhei Orido, 38, a Kikkoman employee wearing a white lab coat, posed this question to about 30 fourth-grade students in a classroom at the Chiba municipal Isobe Elementary School in Chiba City’s Mihama Ward on Jan. 9. When hearing that soy sauce is used as a secret ingredient in noodle dipping sauce, Japanese BBQ sauce and retort pouch curry, the students reacted with surprise, saying things like, “Really?”

After explaining how common soy sauce is, Orido went on to discuss its ingredients, production methods and the components of its taste and aroma. When actual strained lees were distributed, the classroom was filled with the aroma of soy sauce, prompting the students to excitedly make remarks such as “It smells delicious!”

About 100 students participated across three sessions that day. “This was my first time learning how soy sauce is made,” said fourth-grader Fu Tsukada, 10. “When I eat, I want to savor soy sauce even more than before.”

“The children were learning earnestly. I’d be delighted if this leads to people enjoying meals with soy sauce together around the dinner table,” Orido said.

The initiative began in 2005 as part of food education efforts. Classes have been conducted primarily in elementary schools within the prefecture and the Tokyo metropolitan area, with more than 100,000 participants so far. Some who had taken part in the soy sauce class went on to join the company, according to Kikkoman.

The initiative is set to continue. Takehiro Ishihara, 54, who oversees the Shoyu Juku initiative within the company’s social activities group, said, “We want to create even more fans of soy sauce and Kikkoman, so that the next generation will also enjoy it at their dining tables.”