In Suwa, Nagano we came across this lovely Marutaka Miso shop. The shop celebrates its 100th anniversary for making miso since 1916. The area is famous for Shinshu miso, made from soybeans and rice. There is also a kome kōji miso, made with extra kōji (aspergillus oryzae) that is aged for a longer time resulting in a sweet and mild miso.
Marutaka also has many other pantry staples including soy sauce, vinegar, sake, and more. It’s a fun shop to visit and there are plenty of products to bring home for yourself and for omiyage for friends.
One of the miso we brought home is this miso mixed simply with green chili peppers. A spicy dip for crudite of daikon, cucumbers, and carrots. We don’t think of heat in the Japanese palate, so this is a fun way to add spice to your table.
Marutaka Kura 丸高蔵
Nagano-ken, Suwa-shi, Takashima 1-8-30 長野県諏訪市高島1-8-30
http://www.suwa-marutaka.jp/map/
10 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Tuesday – Sunday
closed Monday. If Monday is a national holiday, it is open and then closed Tuesday.
Food Sake Tokyo 
Yukari,
Thanks for the mention! We always go to Marutaka when we’re in Suwa—it’s only a 2-3 minute walk there from the house. Shame they got rid of the footbath!
If you know any other good places to eat in Suwa, I’d love to hear about it. When we go there, we usually eat all our meals at home, so don’t get out and about too much. Though, the entire crew usually has dinner and drinks at the izakaya Akatombo at least once, and sometimes I sneak away at night and have a drink at a cool little whiskey bar called Paris, Texas.
Bummer that the onsen footbath was taken away. You know Suwa better than I do. Arigato, for putting Akatombo and Paris, Texas on our radar!
Bummer that the onsen footbath was taken away. You know Suwa better than I do. Arigato, for putting Akatombo and Paris, Texas on our radar!