VOL.210 DECEMBER 2025
SCHOOLS IN JAPAN [Discovering Japan Through the Eyes of Japanese Influencers] The Appeal of Japan’s Famous Fermented Foods

Ayaka is a culinary expert and fermented food specialist. In this month’s issue, she speaks about the appeal of fermented foods.

Natto, amazake,¹ nuka-zuke,² miso, those fermented foods are traditional Japanese foods. Fermented foods have thrived in Japan’s warm, humid climate and are deeply rooted in the country’s culinary culture.

Food becomes fermented when microorganisms (tiny living organisms that are invisible to the naked eye) work to break down and transform its components. These actions enhance the food’s flavor, extend shelf life, and add nutrition. Through this magical process of fermentation (called hakko in Japanese), food becomes delicious by itself over time without us having to do anything. Essential Japanese seasonings like soy sauce, vinegar, mirin, and sake are all fermented. Incorporating fermented foods into your diet provides the following health benefits.

1. Improved Gut Environment
Beneficial bacteria in fermented foods help regulate our intestinal environment by suppressing the growth of harmful bacteria in the gut. This activity helps relieve constipation, skin problems, and other health complaints.

2. Enhanced Immunity
The majority of immune cells is said to be concentrated in the gut. Incorporating fermented foods into the diet to improve your gut environment strengthens your immunity to protect the body from viruses and other harmful factors. Many fermented foods also contain vitamin B group, which can promote recovery from exhaustion and boost metabolism.

3. Beauty Effects
A well-regulated gut facilitates smooth elimination of waste, which is said to have a beautifying effect on the skin.

In these ways, fermented foods are not only delicious, but also work to benefit our bodies.

Fermentation is also utilized in various fields other than food, such as in the field of medicine. Antibiotics that suppress bacterial infections, anticancer drugs that inhibit cancer cell growth, and antiviral agents that suppress viral replication are examples of fermentation that help save lives.

Please take an interest in fermentation and incorporate it into your daily life.

Ayaka
Culinary expert and fermentation food specialist Ayaka was born in Okayama Prefecture, and moved to Tokyo after entering university. For about five years, she studied cooking while working at a company. She currently shares beauty and gut-health recipes using fermented foods and seasonal vegetables on Nadia and other popular recipe sites, runs cooking classes, and develops recipes. She is also author of the book Karada ga yorokobu, demo kantan! Koji de minimal recipe (“Simple Recipes with Koji That Your Body Will Love,” published by KADOKAWA).

• 1. A beverage made from rice koji or sake lees that has been consumed in Japan since olden times.
• 2. A traditional Japanese pickled dish made by fermenting vegetables with komenuka rice bran (the outer husk of rice) in a mix of salt, water, etc.

By Ayaka
Photo: Ayaka