To a society where fermentation creates space in life and heart. The dream of blue lid:KOJI's Second Chapter.
blue lid:KOJI delivers the blessings of fermentation, especially Koji, aiming to reconnect people with Japanese culture and create moments of 'space' in their busy lives. By moving production to Nagano, they leverage natural elements to craft high-quality fermented products and foster a society where everyone can enjoy the present and embrace fermentation as an accessible part of their culture.
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- 📰 Published: April 1, 2026 at 17:30
- 🔍 Collected: April 1, 2026 at 09:04
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 16, 2026 at 17:43 (368h 38m after Collected)
We endorse April Dream, which aims to make April 1st a day for sharing dreams. This press release is the dream of blue lid:KOJI.
blue lid:KOJI, with the motto "Ferment and Come" (Hakkou shite kou), delivers the blessings of fermentation that live alongside Japanese culture.
Through Koji, we want people to notice and remember the charm of Japan.
This is a shop born from such a desire.
Until now, we have sold from kitchen cars, mainly in the Tokyo metropolitan area. Our origin is the Koji stand, where you can casually stop by like a neighborhood coffee stand.
We were blessed with many customers and fellow kitchen car vendors, and it was a very grateful environment.
However, in our busy daily lives of making amazake while raising children, we suddenly began to think.
"What is necessary to create truly delicious things?"
The answer we arrived at was very simple.
It is water, air, and time. And a place where they circulate properly.
We moved our manufacturing base from Saitama to Minami-aiki Village, Nagano Prefecture. This is the beginning of the second chapter of amazake making.
This is a place surrounded by mountains over 1000m in altitude, with clear water flowing and distinct seasonal changes that can be clearly felt.
The temperature difference between morning and night, the pure water, the clear air. Each of these changes the expression of the koji.
Fermentation cannot be fully controlled. That is why we realized that the environment of this place itself becomes the flavor.
And after starting to live in this village, we felt the richness of "space" in our daily lives.
Time for doing nothing. Time to heal yourself today.
Just time to enjoy the "now."
In today's rapidly information-filled lives, such times are becoming fewer and fewer.
With the start of the second chapter, we re-examined the meaning of continuing our shop.
Regarding rice koji and fermented foods, many people still have impressions like, "It seems good for your health, but difficult," or "I don't really understand it."
Such impressions are held by quite a few people.
However, originally, koji was a much more familiar presence.
It should have been a presence that, without special knowledge, would naturally blend into daily life.
We want to be a presence that gently encourages those who are handling koji for the first time, helping them regain that feeling.
We want people to learn about and feel closer to Japanese fermented culture more easily and enjoyably through koji.
We also included such meaning in our motto, "Ferment and Come."
Just as fermentation progresses over time.
We, living in busy modern times, also need time to face ourselves slowly.
We also wish that "Ferment and Come" would be a gentle phrase directed towards oneself.
We want to continue making our products with care, so that they can be by your side during those moments when you take a relaxing breath.
What is the dream blue lid:KOJI aims for?
As a bridge for conveying culture...
What bluelid:KOJI aims for is not just delivering healthy, delicious, and easy-to-drink products.
Through our products, the past and present, people and things connect, and new value grows.
That is precisely the dream of bluelid:KOJI.
A future where, triggered by fermentation, one naturally encounters Japanese culture and aesthetics, and regains the sense of "enjoying the present."
May it become a society where everyone can have such "space."
We will continue to deliver from Minami-aiki Village.
blue lid:KOJI, with the motto "Ferment and Come" (Hakkou shite kou), delivers the blessings of fermentation that live alongside Japanese culture.
Through Koji, we want people to notice and remember the charm of Japan.
This is a shop born from such a desire.
Until now, we have sold from kitchen cars, mainly in the Tokyo metropolitan area. Our origin is the Koji stand, where you can casually stop by like a neighborhood coffee stand.
We were blessed with many customers and fellow kitchen car vendors, and it was a very grateful environment.
However, in our busy daily lives of making amazake while raising children, we suddenly began to think.
"What is necessary to create truly delicious things?"
The answer we arrived at was very simple.
It is water, air, and time. And a place where they circulate properly.
We moved our manufacturing base from Saitama to Minami-aiki Village, Nagano Prefecture. This is the beginning of the second chapter of amazake making.
This is a place surrounded by mountains over 1000m in altitude, with clear water flowing and distinct seasonal changes that can be clearly felt.
The temperature difference between morning and night, the pure water, the clear air. Each of these changes the expression of the koji.
Fermentation cannot be fully controlled. That is why we realized that the environment of this place itself becomes the flavor.
And after starting to live in this village, we felt the richness of "space" in our daily lives.
Time for doing nothing. Time to heal yourself today.
Just time to enjoy the "now."
In today's rapidly information-filled lives, such times are becoming fewer and fewer.
With the start of the second chapter, we re-examined the meaning of continuing our shop.
Regarding rice koji and fermented foods, many people still have impressions like, "It seems good for your health, but difficult," or "I don't really understand it."
Such impressions are held by quite a few people.
However, originally, koji was a much more familiar presence.
It should have been a presence that, without special knowledge, would naturally blend into daily life.
We want to be a presence that gently encourages those who are handling koji for the first time, helping them regain that feeling.
We want people to learn about and feel closer to Japanese fermented culture more easily and enjoyably through koji.
We also included such meaning in our motto, "Ferment and Come."
Just as fermentation progresses over time.
We, living in busy modern times, also need time to face ourselves slowly.
We also wish that "Ferment and Come" would be a gentle phrase directed towards oneself.
We want to continue making our products with care, so that they can be by your side during those moments when you take a relaxing breath.
What is the dream blue lid:KOJI aims for?
As a bridge for conveying culture...
What bluelid:KOJI aims for is not just delivering healthy, delicious, and easy-to-drink products.
Through our products, the past and present, people and things connect, and new value grows.
That is precisely the dream of bluelid:KOJI.
A future where, triggered by fermentation, one naturally encounters Japanese culture and aesthetics, and regains the sense of "enjoying the present."
May it become a society where everyone can have such "space."
We will continue to deliver from Minami-aiki Village.