Photo/Illutration The “Takara no Takara” cheese produced by the Cheese Kobo Takara workshop in Kimobetsu, Hokkaido, wins the top Grand Prix prize at the Japan Cheese Awards 2024 held in Tokyo’s Bunkyo Ward on Oct. 20. (Mika Omura)

Japan is no longer using its natural cheese primarily for processed cheese slices. Its natural cheese products are now winning international acclaim.

The number of Japanese cheese producers is increasing, consumption is growing, and the popularity of cheese has soared.

Tickets to the “Cheese Fun! Fan! Fun!” promotional event for Japanese natural cheese in Tokyo in October were sold out.

About 4,500 people attended the two-day event where they could talk to producers and sample about 200 cheeses.

The Japan Cheese Awards 2024, now in its sixth year, was concurrently held at the venue.

A record high 371 cheeses produced by 120 workshops in 34 prefectures were submitted in 24 categories, including white mold cheese and mozzarella.

Some cheeses were made using only Japanese ingredients. One entry was wrapped in cherry leaves, while another was washed with sake.

The top Grand Prix prize went to “Takara no Takara,” produced by the Cheese Kobo Takara workshop in Kimobetsu, Hokkaido. It is a hard cheese made using a technique for French Comte, and the judges said it had a rich and nutritious taste.

Narumitsu Saito, 41, who founded the workshop, uses lactic acid from the area to ferment raw milk from a dairy ranch run by his older brother.

“Momentum is building nationwide to nurture the culture of fermentation through cheese,” he said.

Japanese consumers’ introduction to cheese has generally come through processed slices, which are made by heating and melting natural cheese.

But things have changed.

The number of Japanese cheese workshops, excluding those operated by leading dairy products makers, was 106 in 2006.

In less than 20 years, the figure more than tripled to 351 in 2023.

Aki Sakagami, chairwoman of the Cheese Professional Association, a nonprofit organization that hosts the awards event, said the rising popularity of natural cheese in Japan comes as milk consumption remains stagnant.

She said the growing popularity is a manifestation of agricultural diversification efforts to add value to products and deliver them to consumers.

The fact that people are increasingly eating natural cheese at home has boosted its popularity, she added.

The quality of Japanese natural cheese has also drastically improved.

Of 34 Japanese cheeses submitted to the 2024 World Championship Cheese Contest held in the United States in March, three received gold medals, two were given silver medals and one won a bronze medal.

According to Sakagami, Japanese cheeses are made to look beautiful and have a clear taste with fewer unwanted flavors.

“It’s fun to see if they are made with sake, pickles or other Japanese food ingredients, especially with fermented food,” she said.

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