Shinshu miso
信州味噌Ingredient
Shinshu miso is the pale, salty rice miso that Nagano makes for most of Japan, and you will taste it in oyaki and ramen long before you see a tub of it.
Where to eat Shinshu miso · 2 places
Shinshu miso is a rice miso made from rice koji and soybeans, pale in colour and dry and salty on the tongue. Nagano shipped 214,971 tonnes of miso in 2025, about 60 percent of the national total, according to the Nissyoku food-industry paper's March 2026 miso report, and nearly 100 makers work in the prefecture. The name is a trademark held by the prefecture's miso makers' cooperative.
Japanese Wikipedia names Anyo-ji in Saku, the temple founded by the monk Kakushin in the Kamakura period, as the birthplace of Shinshu miso. In the Meiji era the silk mills around Lake Suwa needed food for their workers, and miso went into mass production. After the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, Shinshu miso took over the Tokyo market.
Miso seasons a lot of what you eat on a Nagano trip. The agriculture ministry lists it among the seasonings for oyaki fillings, and Ina's Takato soba adds grilled miso to the dipping sauce. Monogusa in Matsumoto serves fuki-miso, made with butterbur buds, as a small plate with sake.
Quick answers about Shinshu misoよくある質問
What is Shinshu miso?
Shinshu miso is a pale, salty rice miso from Nagano Prefecture, made from rice koji and soybeans. Nagano supplied about 60 percent of Japan's miso shipments in 2025.
Why is so much of Japan's miso made in Nagano?
Nagano's miso industry grew in the Meiji era to feed silk-mill workers around Lake Suwa, and after the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake Shinshu miso took over the Tokyo market. Nearly 100 makers work in the prefecture today.
How do you order Shinshu miso?
Look for miso ramen at Takahashi-ke in Hakuba, fuki-miso with sake at Monogusa in Matsumoto, or an oyaki with a miso-seasoned filling.
When is Shinshu miso in season?
Shinshu miso: All year.
Where can you eat Shinshu miso in Japan?
Places we list for Shinshu miso include Monogusa, Takahashi-ke.