Japan’s First Woman Soy Sauce Sommelier Is Helping Save Tradition on Shodoshima - AFAR

"This chicken-foot–shaped island in the Seto Inland Sea, whose name means “Island of Small Beans,” is a sleepy yet serene destination famed for a stretch of soft white sandbar that links the main island to three tiny islets and for olive groves fanning the south coast — it was the first area in Japan to grow olives and is sister to Milos, Greece. Historically a major center of soy sauce production, the island once hosted hundreds of breweries and still contains more than 1,000 traditional wooden fermentation vats (kioke), making it a rare stronghold of honjozo, small-batch soy sauce brewing; local artisans often age moromi far longer than industrial producers, and visitors can take behind-the-scenes brewery tours and tastings to experience distinct regional flavors and traditional techniques." - Katherine LaGrave