"Factory Restaurant Kenshoku Tanumise" - Enjoy lunch full of natto and a factory tour in Matsusaka City!

​“Factory Restaurant Tanumise” is located in Matsuzaka City, Mie Prefecture. It is a natto factory of Okuno Shokuhin Co., Ltd., and has a buffet-style restaurant that uses healthy ingredients. You can take a tour of the factory in Tanumise for free, so you can spend half a day indulging in natto.

It takes bout an hour and a half by car from Nagoya. If you come by train, take a bus from JR/Kintetsu Matsuzaka Station and get off at Maenoheta, then walk 5 minutes.

* Information at the time of coverage in November 2022.

The first floor is Okuno Shokuhin's natto factory, and the second floor is a restaurant and a space where you can tour the factory. You can tour the factory for free from 10:00, and the restaurant opens at 11:00. The process of making natto starts around 13:00, so it is recommended to fill your stomach with natto after the factory tour!

The stairs are on the right hand side and the back left side facing the building. When you pass by the shop, the fragrant aroma of steamed soybeans wafts through the air, making you wonder what's going on inside! Let's go up the stairs and take a look inside the store.

What kind of place is Factory Restaurant Kenshoku Tanumise?

"Machi no Eki" where you can get local information

If you go up to the second floor, it is the entrance of Tanumise!

The first thing you see when you open the door is the Machi no Eki space. Information and recommended spots that only locals know are introduced. In fact, I saw several people visiting there asking if there was any information, so it turned out that this is also a place as a stopover spot!

Explanation on how to make natto in a way that even children can easily understand!

As you proceed to the back, a cute tanuki character (a.k.a. Manager Tanupu) explains how to make natto in an easy-to-understand manner in the panels. Although there are only a few panels, the content is easy enough to understand! The cute pictures help you to imagine what kind of process is involved in making natto.

The explanations are mostly in hiragana, so even small children can enjoy reading them. This was all I knew for the first time, but the information came into my mind quickly. If you ask me how to make natto, I can answer immediately!

Factory tour is free!

Further in the back is a space where visitors can see the natto factory on the first floor. After reading Manager Tanupu's explanation, you may wonder, "Is that the natto kettle?" and "Is the natto bacillus being poured on now?  "

A restaurant where you can get the nutrients your body needs

Tanumise's lunch menu is displayed on the wall opposite the natto commentary.

At Tanumise, it is standard to decide the main menu first. There are photos of the lunch menu in front of the entrance and above the ticket machine, so you can choose slowly.

Healthy dishes

Tanumise special natto curry

Drink bar with natto sweets and Bacillus natto

All-you-can-eat natto bar with about 10 types of natto from Okuno Shokuhin

Tanumise's buffet menu is characterized by its wide variety. In addition to the main menu, there are also curry, sweets, and "natto bar" where you can eat Okuno Shokuhin's natto. Most of the menu contains natto and natto bacteria, so there are dishes that can only be eaten at Tanumise!

In addition, if you eat Tanumise's healthy food buffet as the main dish, you will get about 350g of vegetables. Furthermore, if you eat natto together, you can get vegetable protein at the same time! It is also attractive that it is gentle on the body and allows you to take in enough nutrients for a day.

Is it an all-you-can-eat natto restaurant? It was a recognition, but I was convinced because the name of the shop had "kenshoku" (healthy eating).

Of course, with the extensive menu, this restaurant is very popular with those who want to eat a lot! In fact, I saw several male customers leaving the restaurant saying, "I'm so full, I can't eat any more! " It would be better to visit the restaurant with an empty stomach. 

How is natto made?

Overall view from the second floor

Okuno Foods' natto factory has a history of about 70 years. The soybeans used for large, small, hikiwari , and kodawari natto are 90% from Mie Prefecture and 10% from other prefectures, making it 100% domestically produced.

Now, after understanding Tanupu's explanation, let's briefly introduce the process of making natto.

First, the soybeans to be used are thoroughly washed the day before and soaked overnight in water to soften them. Next, the beans that had been soaked from the previous day are transferred to the natto kettle and steamed under pressure.

The steamed soybeans are covered with natto bacillus and packed in natto containers. Incidentally, at this stage, even though the natto bacillus is poured over the soybeans, they are not sticky and the natto bacillus itself does not smell. It is the fermentation process that gives natto its distinctive smell.

When packing the soybeans into straw, they were carefully carried by human hands as shown in the photo when they were taken out of the natto kettle. After that, the soybeans are weighed and packed one by one into the straw by hand.

When packing into containers, it is packed using a large machine. Again, the final finishing touches are done by hand. You can see how it is carefully finished with great care.

The finished natto in a container or straw is placed in the fermentation room (hakkomuro) overnight. The left back of the photo is the fermentation room. By leaving it in the fermentation room overnight, the sticky natto-like aroma comes out!

After taking out the natto from the room, cool it in the refrigerator for one day. The reason is to prevent over-fermentation.

The well-chilled natto is then neatly wrapped and finished in a shape you've seen at home or in supermarkets.

I understood from the tour of the factory that natto making cannot be done without manual labor.

A menu full of natto everywhere

Fried natto lunch

Fried natto lunch 890 yen

"Fried natto" is a specialty of Tanumise. The moment you put it in your mouth, it will be crispy, but the more you chew, the more the flavor of natto will come out, and the texture will change to a springy texture. Nutritious ingredients such as natto, chives, chikuwa, and sesame are used and kneaded into the rice flour dough. Served with seaweed and fried in rice oil rich in vitamin E.

There are three types of flavor variations: plain, curry, and spicy. Because it's fried, it doesn't smell like natto, but once you put it in your mouth, it tastes like natto and goes well with rice!

The dressing on the salad is "natto dressing". It doesn't have the stickiness of natto and is smooth, but when you put it in your mouth, the flavor of natto spreads softly. If you like natto, you will be addicted to the cabbage and freshly steamed soybeans that you can eat as much as you want. Of course, besides natto dressing, you can also choose rice oil dressing or soy sauce dressing.

Tanumise Special Natto Curry

Tanumise's curry uses plenty of natto and has a mild taste. It doesn't have a sticky feeling like pulling strings, but the taste and aroma are just like natto! When you put it in your mouth, you can feel the sweetness of natto, but the aftertaste is tangy and spicy. I feel that children in elementary school who like spicy curry can eat it.

For the rice, you can choose Matsuzaka rice or mixed grain rice, and I felt that they were particular about the idea unique to healthy food company.

Tanumise Bread

Tanumise bread is baked with hikiwari natto powder. After baking for about 1 minute in the toaster, it smells slightly of natto. However, it doesn't taste like natto, so even people who don't like natto can easily eat it.

Also, the bread does not use eggs, so even children with allergies can eat it without worry.

Natto pound cake

The natto pound cake contains hikiwari natto and a little brandy, giving it a moist taste. There are raisins and edamame natto inside.

Natto beer

Natto beer essence. Smells and tastes like lemon.

Pour into a glass if desired.

I had a non-alcoholic drink.

I was shocked by the name "natto beer", so I ordered a non-alcoholic beer.

The essence of natto is characterized by a refreshing citrus scent, and you can't feel the elements of natto in appearance. However, when I poured beer over the small amount of essence and drank it, I felt the unique aroma and consistency of natto as it passed down my throat and through my nose! The aftertaste is surprisingly refreshing, so if you like natto, we recommend adding the essence and drinking it.

Phantom Souvenir "Matsusaka Beef Natto"

At Tanumise, I was able to sample the phantom souvenir “Matsusaka Beef Natto”. It is a topical product that has been featured in various media, but it is said that it is quite difficult to obtain. However, Tanumise sells them, so if you happen to see them, we recommend buying them as souvenirs!

It has a faint scent of soy sauce and ginger, and it has a deep flavor like tsukudani.

Tokyo natto long-seller No. 4

There is double the amount of normal natto (40g).

"Tokyo Natto" is a familiar natto in Mie Prefecture. The founder of the company received the recipe from a relative who was running a natto shop in Tokyo at the time, and the name was given as a gesture of gratitude.

4 is the size of a natto container, and is said to be the size of a large family that has been loved since the Showa era. The natto has large grains and a chewy texture, and you can really feel the umami of soybeans.

Ise black soybean natto

Natto made with large Ise black soybeans. It has a smooth mouthfeel and a soft texture when chewed. It's a natto that melts after a few bites while feeling the aroma of black soybeans. It is also recommended to eat it with salt and wasabi.

Ise hijiki natto

This natto is made by fermenting hijiki from Ise-Shima and soybeans together. Vitamin K2 from natto and calcium from hijiki are combined, making the natto highly nutritious. It is small grain natto, s small children and the elderly can easily eat.

You can spend time indulging in natto,
Natto theme park

Tanumise is an interesting facility where you can learn how to make natto and discover new things just by visiting. If you have half a day to see and eat, you will be able to have a delicious and educational experience, and you can spend your time immersed in natto!

From December 20th, the restaurant will be temporarily closed due to the renovation, but you can continue to visit the factory.

In addition to the free tour, they continue to offer a "natto making experience" for a fee (*). In this plan, you can actually experience wrapping soybeans in straw and adding natto bacteria. In addition, the natto you make will be delivered to your house at a later date, so you can eat the only handmade natto in the world!

Why not visit the natto theme park where adults and children alike can enjoy themselves?

*Adults 800 yen (Junior high school students and above), Children 500 yen (Elementary school students and above)