Kojicon 2024 runs 19 Feb - 3 Mar. This is the fourth conference. Purchase of a ticket gives you access to the recordings from the previous 3 conferences. That is a lot of material! Very much worthwhile if you have an interest in koji, brewing, pickles, charcuterie, and other types of fermentation. Everything is recorded if you can’t attend the livestreams or if you just want to rewatch, and there is an active slack community for participants.
List of presenters and schedule:
https://kojicon.org/presenters
https://kojicon.org/schedule
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Thanks Mia. Looks like the UK online version is roughly the same time. Looking forward to building on my current knowledge.
Participants are from all over the world–every continent except Antarctica, and probably a whole lotta time zones. Great thing is that it’s all recorded. I don’t often manage to attend a live presentation, but if you have questions you can contact the speakers later. And the slack channel is lively.
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Kojicon 2025 (the fifth conference!) runs 17 February - 2 March. Ticket sales have just gone live. As always, sessions are recorded if you can’t make the livestreams, and purchasing a ticket to this year’s conference gives you full access to the previous years’ recorded sessions (see list below). This year’s communications move to the Discord platform from Slack.
This is a list of the previous recorded sessions:
Kojicon 2024 CONTENT
Kojicon Kick-Off
Maximum Flavor, Minimum Effort
Rediscovering Japan: Koji and Cultures of Care
Harmonizing Microbial Worlds to Bottle a Sense of Place
Koji on Scale: From 1kg to 400kg at Brooklyn Kura
Rice Work: Japan’s Microseasonal Calendar
Koji in Mugaritz Ecosystem
Exploring Natto and Related Funky Beans
Isbell Farms: Premium Sake Rice
Taiwanese Soy Sauce Applications
The Joy of Crossing Boundaries with Koji
Harnessing Innovation with Amazake: Tradition, Science, and Microbial Magic
Culinary Crossroads: Bridging Tradition and Technology
From Unwanted Weeds to Unlimited Possibilities
Nuruk - The Life Force of Sool
Kojicon Midpoint Check-In
Koji the Land: Plants, Perennials, and Fungi as a Place-Based Foodway
What’s up with Qu starting things with mothers everywhere?
Koji Know-how in the Age of Capitalist Extraction
Koji in the Lab
Koji and Animal Proteins
Local Production and Local Consumption
Fermentourism in Japan
Becoming a Brewer
Connecting the Dots
Sake Brewing in Japan: Tradition and Landscape
Fermenting Spirituality: Unveiling the Mysteries of Koji and the Esoteric Arts
From Brew to Plate
Exploring Taiwan’s Diverse Culture through Fermented Foods
Subversive Salami in My Ragged Briefcase
Everything Under the Sun: Fermented Foods and Cultural Belonging
Taiwanese Kaadaadaan Amis Tribe
Rukai Food Culture
BEYOND THE GLASS: Creativity in Beverages through Fermentation
Koji Inspiration from Recent Travels: Taiwan, Peru, Korea
Embracing Place with Korean Alcohol
Birth and traveling of Cosy Koji
Soy Sauce: Past and Future
Kojicon Wrap Up
Kojicon 2023 CONTENT
Kojicon Kick-off
Our Fermented Lives
Meet The Koji Club
Tuning into Koji
Novel and Modern Application of Koji to Spirits
Koji Culture of Japan
Indigenous Rice Wine Making
Preserving Food with Koji at Home
Adventures in Koji
Korean Fermentation - Beyond the Mother Jangs
Taiwanese Traditional Sun-Fermented Soy Sauce
Seasons of Koji
Homebrewing a Danyangju: A One Step Korean Alcohol Brew Method
The Art of Authentic Rice Wine
Kojicon Check-In
Tsukemono
Tasty Transformations of Seafood
Indian Achaars
Super/Natural
Sake Making
Korean Traditional Liquor
More Cultures of Koji
Koji and Herbalism
Koji: A Catalyst for Conversation & Preservation
Fermentation in the Age of Digital Reproduction
Fermentation Futures in the Making
Koji for Sake
Koji Coffee
The Infinite Possibilities of Mold-Based Fermentation for Use in a Restaurant Kitchen
Five Tastes
Mold-Based Fermentation of Meats and Charcuterie
Fermenting the Future
Characteristic of Japanese Fermentation
Koji in Context
Kojicon Wrap-Up
Kojicon 2022 CONTENT
Conference Overview and Introduction
Shifting Perspectives with Marika Groen
Minimizing Waste and Lessons Learned with Jessica Alonzo
Koji Fermental Anthropology with Hiraku Ogura
Dessert Expressions with Francisco Migoya
Korean Fermented Jangs with Irene Yoo
The Intersection of Koji and Indian Fermentation with Payal Shah
Modern Tsukemono with Alex Hozven
Koji: The Heart of Sake Brewing with Andrew Centofante and Yoshi Sako
Koji Cover Songs with Kirsten Shockey
Taiwanese Fermentation with Pao Yiu Liu
Sake and Crazy Miso with Mutsuko Soma and Quan Liang
Research and Development of Flavor through Fermentation with Elliot Silber and Sam Jett
Japanese Fermented Cuisine with Hiroko Shimbo
A Zero Waste Restaurant Model with Jeremy Kean
Fermenting Anti-Capitalism with John Hutt
Fermentation Chains with Sean Doherty
Kojicon Check In
Ferment the Change You Want to Eat in the World with David Zilber
Dry Aged Meats and Charcuterie with Jeremy Umansky
Translating Fermentations: Flavour, Microbiology, Sustainability with Joshua Evans
Why Fermentation? A Deeper Understanding with Blanca Del Noval
Sour Pig Head with Misti Norris
Forgotten Food with Dr. Johnny Drain
Building Community with Fermentation with Julia Skinner
Korean Alcohol Brewing with Yong Ha Jeong
A History of Chinese Fermentation with Mara Jane King
Koji and Shoyu Making as a Practice
Changing Food for Good with Rich Shih
Cultures and Cultures of Koji, Japan’s National Mold with Eleni Michael
Tamari, Modern and Traditional Understanding with Takashi Sato
Fermentation is a Teacher with Sandor Katz
Kojicon Wrap Up
Kojicon 2021 CONTENT
Practical Koji with Rich Shih
Science and History with John Gibbons
Equipment and Set Up with Rich Shih
Amino Pastes with Kirsten Shockey
Shih Koji with Nico Muratore and James Wayman
Amino Sauces with Bob Florence
Flavor Making Roadmap with Rich Shih
Pickles with Jessica Alonzo
Sugar, Vinegar, and More Part 1 with Emmer & Rye
Sugar, Vinegar, and More Part 2 with Emmer & Rye
Bread & Butter with Sean Doherty
Chinese Savory with Mara Jane King
Modern Spirits with Chris Stewart
Chinese Alcohol with John Hutt
Craft and Science with Victoria Lee
Core Muscle Charcuterie with Meredith Leigh
Offal Charcuterie with Misti Norris
Using Koji to Close the Loop with Johnny Drain
Japanese Alcohol with Stephen Lyman
Koji Spore Production with Akiko Katayama and Koichi Higuchi
Vegetable Charcuterie
The Old and the New with Sandor Katz
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For the first time in a very long time it’ll be relatively quiet for me at work, so I’ll be able to partake. Perfect timing since I just started in on Shih and Umansky’s book “Koji Alchemy: Rediscovering the Magic of Mold-Based Fermentation”, and began playing around with shio koji a few weeks ago (and have re-read Noma’s “Guide to Fermentation”, which has a detailed section on koji as well).
Nice! You will have fun.
I will be as usual quite busy at work and will likely only be watching the recordings over the next months when I can find time to catch up. I did most of the first conference live, which if you can manage that is nice because you’ve the chance of asking questions live. But even without that there is a ton of material provided in the recordings, and the Slack (now Discord) community is continuous.
I really recommend this to anyone who enjoys cooking or who has even a passing interest in fermentation, or even if you are just a user of fermented products like miso or sake.
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Bumping to the top–Kojicon starts in just 3 days. If you like to cook or eat, this is a fantastic opportunity to learn about koji and other fermentation processes. Attend live (on line) or catch up with the recordings. Join the kojicon community on Discord (previously on Slack). It’s a bargain as paying for this year’s conference gives you access to some 200 hours of recorded sessions from the previous 4 conferences.
Ha, perfect bump for me as I had lunch at Umansky’s Larder this afternoon. He’s usually there but didn’t see him today, but this event probably explains that!
Such a cool deli.
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Jeremy Umansky and Rich Shih were part of the group that organised the first Kojicon. They co-authored Koji Alchemy.
Which is an absolutely wonderful book that doesn’t require any prior knowledge on the topic.
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I’ve taken the koji plunge. Based on reading and re-reading both Koji Alchemy and Noma’s fermentation guide I’ve been practicing. Had to start with spores simply labeled “white koji” as I didn’t have access to A. Oryzae in a timely fashion. The white koji was ok but produces a heavy citric acid profile.
The A. Oryzae has been stunning in the couple of runs I’ve made with it. When it starts doing its thing I can smell it all the way upstairs, even though it’s mostly covered. I’ve completed two small 500g batches of koji using basmati rice, and tonight am making my first sweet amazake from that. If that goes well, will then make a sour amazake as well.
Next week I’ll be shifting to making the koji from pearl barley, plan to make shio koji (likely separate
batches from rice and barley to compare). Lots of ideas for what to do with all this. From bases for sauces to curing meats to making cheeses.
Longer-term I’d like to make miso and soy sauce but for now it’s more about getting the basic production technique down- ensuring it’s consistently repeatable.
Fun little rabbit hole.
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Kojicon: Back to Basics with Peter Barrett and Rich Shih!
Back to Basics is a hands-on virtual workshop series designed to get people excited about the seasonal flavors and everyday deliciousness that fermentation can bring to the kitchen.
Led by fermentation experts Rich Shih and Peter Barrett, the sessions offer simple, practical ways to use fermentation—from transforming leftovers to boosting weeknight meals with bold, layered flavor.
Join live to cook along with Rich and Peter and ask questions in real time, or watch later via a private YouTube link at your convenience. You’ll receive the link and an ingredient and supply list ahead of each session.
Sign up for our seasonal 3-class package — or register for individual classes!
Summer Series Schedule:
Tuesday, July 15 at 7PM EST: Refreshing Fruit Makes
Bring fruit to life in this refreshing, hands-on fermentation session. You’ll learn to make a sweet, koji-based amazake, brew a naturally fizzy tepache from pineapple, and start the process of transforming plums into savory umeboshi. Each technique highlights fruit’s versatility—beyond sweetness—while offering simple ways to build depth, preserve seasonality, and explore bold, fermented flavors.
Tuesday, August 5 at 7PM EST: Cucumbers Three Ways, Inspired by Tsukemono (Japanese Pickles)
Stream a hands-on exploration of the many lives a cucumber can live. Drawing inspiration from the Japanese tradition of tsukemono, this session will guide you through three unique techniques: a quick vinegar pickle, a classic lacto ferment, and an inventive approach to kojify cucumber seeds and skins. You’ll leave with practical skills and fresh ideas for reducing food waste while creating bold, layered flavors.
Tuesday, September 9 at 7PM EST: Punching Up the Nightshades (Tomatoes, Peppers, and Eggplants)
Turn up the volume on summer’s boldest vegetables in this flavor-driven session. You’ll learn how to transform tomatoes into a rich koji-infused sauce, craft a vibrant fermented hot sauce with peppers, and create a deeply savory tare-style BBQ glaze that brings out the best in eggplant. These techniques celebrate the intensity of nightshades while introducing simple fermentation methods to elevate everyday cooking.
Do you grow your own koji at home or do you buy it?
You should at the very least make some shio koji. I use it in half of what I cook, from soups to salad dressing, to meat rubs. It’s the easist process ever.
I have before! It’s awesome stuff. I have a very ghetto homemade fermentation chamber and have made koji before but also have bought it too. My setup has failed though and the humidity control is the problem, need to upgrade everything and I’m curious about others home setups. Are you and Johnathan growing koji or do you buy it somewhere?
We buy rice koji. There are very good brands available for cheap.
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I buy rice koji. We have a local place that makes great miso, shoyu, etc.
If you sign up for Kojicon you get access to all the previous years’ of videos, and in Year 1 there was a great deal of information on setting up fermentation chambers, etc.
Do you work for kojicon or one of its sponsors?
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No, but I live about a mile from the farm where the educational center that hosts Kojicon is located.
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