Top 15 Best Japanese Soy Sauces – From Premium Shoyu to Everyday Use

Kikkoman Naturally Brewed Soy Sauce Tabletop Glass Dispenser

Kikkoman, the company with the largest market share in Japanese soy sauce, is also a believer in whole soybean sauce. They argue that the fat in the whole soybean helps maintain the shoyu’s aroma; eventually breaks down to a natural-derived sweetener called glycerin; and prevents the liquid from oxidation. As a result, their whole soy sauce has a slight sweetness and brings it a long-lasting freshness. With this product, you can enjoy its clear red-brown color, non-viscous texture, complexity of flavors that aren’t out-and-out salty, and clear aftertaste. This condiment is suitable for acting as a base ingredient for boiled or simmered dishes like nikujaga (stewed beef and potato), nizakana, and teriyaki. 

Goto Shoyu Japanese Sweet Soy Sauce Akane

A family-owned company based in the north of Kyushu, Goto Shoyu uses soybeans sourced from Fukuoka prefecture to make its soy sauce along with the addition of a sugar syrup to make a sweet tasting product that is popular in the local region. Despite the sweet taste, this soy sauce is 100% natural, made without chemical seasonings, artificial colors, sweetners, and flavors. Try it with sashimi or add it to your cooking sauces.

Choko Low Salt Japanese Soy Sauce

For health-conscious people, Choko’s Low Salt Soy Sauce is one of the best low sodium Japanese soy sauces available to purchase. Containing 50% less salt than regular soy sauce, this non-GMO shoyu produced in Nagasaki is a good option if you are looking to improve your diet and reduce your salt intake. Choko succeeded in reducing the salt without degrading the shoyu’s original quality thanks to their special “koji-adding” method. By adding koji (malted soybean and wheat) during the fermentation process, the overall salt content is reduced without diluting the flavor and umami. You’ll be surprised that its taste isn’t much different from regular soy sauces.

Choko Kakepon Ponzu Organic Yuzu Soy Sauce

For a different flavor, this soy sauce from Choko includes the addition of yuzu citrus fruit to create a lighter, tangy, milder tasting product, similar to vinegar. Using yuzu juice sourced from Kochi prefecture (Japan’s largest producing region of yuzu), this refreshing sauce can be used as a dipping sauce for gyoza dumplings, grilled meats and vegetables, and salad dressing.

Marumata Gluten-free Organic Tamari Soy Sauce

Even if you are living in Japan, it can be quite difficult to find a tamari soy sauce that has the following conditions: organic, additive-free, and gluten-free, but do not worry, there is a soy sauce that does meet all these conditions. Marumata Tamari Soy Sauce is an organic shoyu (certified under the JAS, Ecocert, and USDA) for people with a wheat allergy. It is also an additive-free soy sauce that people intolerant to chemical additives can also enjoy.

Tamari shoyu is a type of soy sauce that has a richer flavor than its normal counterparts. Very long in fermentation, it contains very rich umami that can enrich any dish with only a few drops. Although it apparently looks saltier than normal shoyu because of its dark color and viscous texture, its salt content is almost the same or slightly less than standard koikuchi soy sauces. You can still experience its savoriness even if you dilute it with water.

Yamato Hishio Raw Soy Sauce

When it was revealed that many chefs from 3-star establishments around the world give their patronage to this shoyu, many core fans of Japanese cuisine sought this product by searching stores on the Internet. Indeed, this shoyu is amazing! Raw soy sauce, or nama shoyu (sometimes pronounced as nama jyoyu), is a soy sauce that is processed without heat sterilization. This brings the shoyu an extra mellow flavor that preheated soy sauces do not have. You don’t have to worry about hygiene because the liquid gets filtered with a special microfilter that can effectively remove impurities without disrupting its original taste. It also contains enzymes, which help your body stay clean from the inside.