KOJI EVENTS

A guided tasting and learning workshop all about koji and Japanese fermentation. For home cooks, chefs, and foodies of all backgrounds!

The Japanese Umami Workshop by Long Beach Koji introduces you to the world of koji — the ancient Japanese fermentation culture that creates natural sweetness, aroma, and deep savory flavor. You’ll explore how koji’s enzymes transform simple ingredients into nutrient‑rich, umami‑packed foods.

This workshop blends culture, science, and sensory experience to help you understand — and taste — how koji and umami elevate everyday cooking.

A Small-Group Deep Dive (Limited to 6 Participants) 

This session is intentionally limited in size to create a more intimate learning environment. With only six participants, you’ll have extended time for Q&A, personalized guidance, and deeper discussion about koji, fermentation techniques, and how to use these ingredients in your own cooking.

During the workshop, you will...

• learn the basics of cooking with koji from a Japanese fermentation expert

• enjoy freshly made amazake

• take part in a guided umami tasting

• learn how ingredients like kombu (kelp), shiitake, and katsuobushi (bonito flakes) build layers of savory depth

• get hands‑on experience making your own shio (salt) koji and take home half a pound of Shio koji

Participants have the option to purchase fresh organic koji for $25 / pound. 

Explore the magic of Japanese fermentation in the 'Organic Rice to Sake: Japanese Fermentation Tasting Experience.' Uncover the journey from a single grain of organic California duck rice to koji, amazake, doburoku, and sake, guided by Japanese Fermentation Professional, Masako Kodama. Dive into the aromas, textures, and flavors that define each stage of this transformative process.

• Begin with steamed organic rice and witness its evolution into fragrant koji

• Indulge in sweet and creamy amazake

• Discover lively doburoku, the thick, cloudy, lightly bubbly sake

• Conclude with a sake tasting featuring the signature sake, “Clear Skies, ” from Sawtelle Sake

• Gain insights into how enzymes and microbes work their magic to create new foods and drinks through Japanese fermentation

Throughout the activity, you'll be working with organic California rice grown using regenerative duck-rice methods and Los Angeles craft sake brewed by Sawtelle Sake, honoring Japanese fermentation craftsmanship. This experience is perfect for food lovers, fermentation novices, sake aficionados, Japanese culture enthusiasts, and anyone fascinated by the extraordinary journey of simple ingredients through fermentation. Uncover the beauty of local agriculture and the artistry of Japanese fermentation, and take home a newfound appreciation for the traditions and flavors of this captivating process.

【Discover the World of Koji & Japanese Fermentation】

The Japanese Umami Workshop by Long Beach Koji introduces you to the world of koji — the ancient Japanese fermentation culture that creates natural sweetness, aroma, and deep savory flavor. You’ll explore how koji’s enzymes transform simple ingredients into nutrient‑rich, umami‑packed foods.

This workshop blends culture, science, and sensory experience to help you understand and taste how koji and umami elevate everyday cooking.

An Interactive Workshop for the Koji-curious

Dec 5 (Sat), 2026
2:30pm to 4:00pm @ Sawtelle Sake (1836 Sawtelle Blvd, Los Angeles)

A Small-Group Deep Dive (Limited to 8 Participants)

This session is intentionally limited in size to create a more intimate learning environment. With maximum for eight participants, you’ll have extended time for Q&A, personalized guidance, and deeper discussion about koji, fermentation techniques, and how to use these ingredients in your own cooking.

During the workshop, you will...

• learn the basics of cooking with koji from a Japanese fermentation expert

• enjoy freshly made amazake

• take part in a guided umami tasting

• learn how ingredients like kombu (kelp), shiitake, and katsuobushi (bonito flakes) build layers of savory depth

• get hands‑on experience making your own salt koji

Participant have an option to purchase fresh organic koji for $25 per pound.

What is Umami?

Umami is the fifth basic taste — savory, rich, and deeply satisfying. It comes from natural glutamates found in foods like mushrooms, kombu (seaweed), and koji. First identified in Japan in 1908, umami signals “protein” to the human body and gives foods their comforting depth and roundness.

Who is Long Beach Koji?

Long Beach Koji was founded by Masako Kodama, a certified Japanese Fermentation Professional. Her work blends scientific precision with the cultural heritage of Japanese fermentation, bringing koji to Southern California in a way that is both authentic and accessible. Long Beach Koji produces fresh, small batch koji made from organic rice grown in California by Lopes Family Farm, and crafted in collaboration with Sawtelle Sake in Los Angeles. We offer educational workshops and are developing partnerships with local chefs and restaurateurs to explore new ways of bringing traditional Japanese koji into modern cooking.

A guided tasting and learning workshop all about koji and Japanese fermentation. For home cooks, chefs, and foodies of all backgrounds!

The Japanese Umami Workshop by Long Beach Koji introduces you to the world of koji — the ancient Japanese fermentation culture that creates natural sweetness, aroma, and deep savory flavor. You’ll explore how koji’s enzymes transform simple ingredients into nutrient‑rich, umami‑packed foods.

This workshop blends culture, science, and sensory experience to help you understand and taste how koji and umami elevate everyday cooking.

A Small-Group Deep Dive (Limited to 6 Participants) 

This session is intentionally limited in size to create a more intimate learning environment. With only six participants, you’ll have extended time for Q&A, personalized guidance, and deeper discussion about koji, fermentation techniques, and how to use these ingredients in your own cooking.

During the workshop, you will...

• learn the basics of cooking with koji from a Japanese fermentation expert

• enjoy freshly made amazake

• take part in a guided umami tasting

• learn how ingredients like kombu (kelp), shiitake, and katsuobushi (bonito flakes) build layers of savory depth

• get hands‑on experience making your own shio (salt) koji and take home half a pound of Shio koji

Participants have the option to purchase fresh organic koji for $25 / pound.