Shodoshima Soy Sauce

What to know

Shodoshima boasts a 400-year history of soy sauce brewing. Today, around a dozen factories cluster near the island's center between Kusakabe Port and Sakate Port, still producing the dark, salty seasoning.

Marukin, a leading soy sauce maker on the island, runs a museum on its factory grounds. Designed like a traditional brewery, it showcases the production process with original vats and tools. English displays are available, and the gift shop sells a wide variety of soy sauces.

Another local specialty is tsukudani—seafood, meat, or other foods simmered in sweet soy sauce for preservation, often eaten with rice. Two tsukudani shops sit near the soy sauce museum.

Kyohotei Tsukudani features a small museum and café, plus offers mini walking tours and lectures (800 yen each; advance reservation required; see official website). The other shop, Ittokuan Tsukudani, has a well-stocked store where you can sample many tsukudani varieties.

The nearest bus stop to the museum and shops is Marukin-mae (丸金前). Buses run 1-2 times per hour from Tonosho Port to Marukin-mae, heading toward Sakate (坂手) or Eigamura (映画村) and stopping at Kusakabe Port en route. The one-way trip from Tonosho Port takes 40 minutes and costs 500 yen; from Kusakabe Port it's 10 minutes and 200 yen.

Alternatively, you can reach the museum and shops by rental car or taxi: about 40 minutes from Tonosho Port (around 7500 yen by taxi), 30 minutes from Fukuda Port (about 6000 yen), or five minutes from Kusakabe Port (about 1500 yen).