Photo by Seiya Maeda on Unsplash
Natto is the dish that divides visitors to Japan more than any other. Ask a room full of travelers about it and you’ll get a chorus of groans about the smell, the stringy texture, and the “gym sock” comparisons that seem to follow it everywhere online. But natto is also a genuine cornerstone of the Japanese breakfast table, cheap, nutritious, and available in every convenience store in the country. If you’re going to encounter it anyway — sitting on a hotel breakfast buffet, tucked into a bento, or offered by a homestay host — you may as well learn how to eat it the right way. Done properly, natto is far less alarming than its reputation suggests, and plenty of visitors end up quietly hooked.
What Exactly Is Natto?
Natto is whole soybeans fermented with Bacillus subtilis (natto bacteria), a process that breaks down the beans’ proteins and coats them in a sticky, stringy web of amino acids. That stringiness — called neba-neba in Japanese — is the defining trait of natto, and it’s also the biggest hurdle for newcomers. The smell is often described as sharp, cheesy, or ammonia-like, somewhere between strong cheese and fermented tofu. The flavor itself is much milder than the smell suggests: earthy, nutty, slightly sweet, with a savory backbone from the fermentation.
Nutritionally, natto is a powerhouse. A single 40–50g pack delivers around 8g of protein, plenty of fiber, and vitamin K2, which is a big reason it’s associated with health and longevity in Japan. It’s also cheap: a three-pack of small styrofoam containers costs roughly ¥100–¥150 at any supermarket or convenience store.
How to Eat It Properly
The classic way to eat natto is over a bowl of warm white rice for breakfast, but there’s a technique to it that makes a real difference in texture and flavor:
- Stir it first. Open the container, remove the small packets of sauce and mustard usually tucked inside the lid, and stir the beans vigorously with chopsticks for 15–20 seconds before adding anything else. This whips air into the stringy fermentation strands and actually mellows the smell while improving the texture — skipping this step is the single most common reason people find natto unpleasant.
- Add the sauce, not soy sauce straight. Most packs come with a small packet of tare (a soy-based sauce) and sometimes karashi mustard. Add both, then stir again. If there’s no sauce packet, a small splash of soy sauce works fine.
- Spoon it over rice. Pour the stirred natto over a bowl of hot rice and mix lightly. The heat from the rice releases more aroma, so some people prefer to let the rice cool slightly first if the smell bothers them.
- Common additions. A raw egg yolk, chopped green onion, grated daikon, or a few drops of sesame oil are all standard mix-ins that soften the flavor and are worth trying if the plain version doesn’t win you over immediately.
A common mistake first-timers make is eating it straight from the container without stirring, or pairing it with something delicate like plain toast — natto is built to be a rice condiment, and it works far better in that context than on its own.
Where to Buy and Try Natto
You don’t need to seek out anywhere special — that’s part of the point. Every convenience store (Lawson, 7-Eleven, FamilyMart) and every supermarket in Japan stocks multiple brands and grain sizes, typically in the refrigerated section near tofu and eggs. Look for brands like Takano Foods’ “Okame Natto,” Mizkan, or regional co-op brands. Grain size varies: hikiwari (chopped, smaller pieces) has a milder smell and smoother texture, and is often the easiest entry point for beginners, while whole-bean natto has more bite and a stronger aroma. If you’re doing your own grocery shopping during your trip, natto is a great item to pick up alongside other everyday Japanese staples — the Gyomu Super & Local Supermarkets guide covers how to navigate Japanese grocery stores as a visitor, including how to read unfamiliar packaging.
For a sit-down introduction rather than a DIY one, many traditional Japanese-style breakfast sets (wafuku asagohan) at ryokan and business hotels include a small pack of natto alongside grilled fish, miso soup, and rice. This is often the gentlest way to try it, since it comes portioned correctly with rice and sauce already provided.
Regional Notes and Best Time to Try It
Natto is eaten year-round, but it’s most prominently featured at breakfast, so the best time to try it is during your first hotel or ryokan breakfast rather than as a dinner experiment. Ibaraki Prefecture, just northeast of Tokyo, is considered the natto capital of Japan and is where Mito-brand natto originated; if you’re passing through the Tohoku region on a wider itinerary — say, after visiting Ginzan Onsen or the Zao Onsen ice monsters — you’ll find natto is an even more central part of local breakfast culture than in Tokyo. Note that natto is markedly less popular in western Japan (Kansai and further west), where some households and restaurants skip it entirely, so don’t expect it as a default in Osaka or Kyoto the way you might in the east.
Budget, Mid-Range, and Splurge Ways to Try It
- Budget (¥100–¥150): A three-pack from any convenience store or supermarket. This is genuinely how most Japanese people eat it, so there’s no need to spend more to get an “authentic” experience.
- Mid-range (¥600–¥1,200): A traditional breakfast set at a business hotel or diner-style restaurant (like a Yoshinoya or a local teishoku shop) that includes natto, rice, miso soup, grilled fish, and pickles as a full plate.
- Splurge (¥2,500+): A kaiseki-style ryokan breakfast, where natto might be presented in a small lacquered bowl alongside a much more elaborate multi-course spread — the setting elevates a humble ingredient into something quite refined.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Not stirring enough. Under-stirred natto is stickier, smellier, and less pleasant. Thirty seconds of stirring is not excessive.
- Eating it cold and plain. Straight from the fridge with nothing added is the least forgiving way to experience it.
- Assuming one bad experience is final. Grain size, brand, and additions vary enough that it’s worth trying hikiwari with egg and green onion even if whole-bean natto plain didn’t work for you.
- Ordering it at a restaurant without rice. Natto is a topping, not a standalone dish — always pair it with rice.
Whether or not natto becomes a favorite, it’s worth trying at least once with the right technique — stirred well, sauced properly, and spooned over warm rice — before writing it off. If you end up liking it, a few vacuum-packed or freeze-dried natto products are sold at supermarkets and are stable enough to bring home as an unusual souvenir; just check customs rules on fermented foods before packing them, and see the guide to shipping souvenirs home if you’d rather mail food items separately from your luggage.