VOL.212 FEBRUARY 2026
CYCLING JAPAN [Discovering Japan Through the Eyes of Japanese Influencers] The Power of Fermentation

Meat or fish marinated in shio koji is tenderized through fermentation, enabling easier absorption of nutrients, such dishes are sometimes served in medical care and nursing care settings.

Ayaka is a culinary expert and fermented food specialist. In this issue, she speaks about the power of fermentation.

Fermented foods have developed in Japan over many years. They are drawing attention as a sustainable food culture, and are being promoted globally as a representative food of Japan, as seen in a fermented food restaurant at pavilions at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan (See “Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan,” HIGHLIGHTING Japan, July 2025 issue).

Fermentation’s appeal goes beyond “deliciousness.” It also has the potential to serve as a powerful technology that supports medicine, the environment, and addresses food issues.

1. Fermentation Supports Medicine Production
Some antibiotics, anticancer drugs, and antiviral agents are produced using fermentation. The same goes for vitamin supplements and intestinal regulators. Fermentation is an unsung hero that supports health. There are also high hopes for future applications of fermentation in regenerative medicine and personalized medicine.¹

2. Expansion of Fermentation’s Potential in Medical and Nursing Care
Fermentation softens food ingredients, making them easier to digest and absorb. This aspect is expected to play an increasingly vital role as a process that supports food intake for people with diminished chewing, swallowing, or digestive functions.

3. Fermentation Technology for the Environmental Protection
Fermentation is also gaining attention as a means of producing renewable energy from food resources, such as bioethanol, made by fermenting corn or sugarcane, and biogas, produced by fermenting livestock manure or food waste. This approach aligns closely with the needs of our future society: the recycling-oriented use of limited resources.

4. Contribution to a Stable Food Supply
As population growth and extreme weather impact the food supply, fermentation is gradually emerging as an important element in the future food systems, such as the development of alternative proteins² that replace meat and technologies that use microbial enzymes to break down fallen leaves and other fibers into glucose.

Thus, fermentation is both an integral part of traditional Japanese culture and a means of contributing to medicine, the environment, and industry. In an era of profound social and environmental change, the use of fermentation will expand into new fields and support a sustainable future for humanity and our planet.

I invite you to pay attention to the future shaped by fermentation.

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 type of medical care that tailors prevention and treatment based on the individual characteristics of patients with the same illness.
• 2. Proteins made from plants, fermentation, or animal cells that replace traditional proteins like meat and fish.

By Ayaka
Photo: Ayaka; PIXTA