{"id":31820,"date":"2025-11-04T17:52:46","date_gmt":"2025-11-04T08:52:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sonomono.jp\/?p=31820"},"modified":"2026-08-03T17:17:22","modified_gmt":"2026-08-03T08:17:22","slug":"natto-hakase-55","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonomono.jp\/en\/natto-hakase\/natto-hakase-55\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Natto Available Overseas? Export Trends, Challenges, and the Rise of Freeze-Dried Natto Powder"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Natto as a Luxury Food? Can You Buy Natto Abroad?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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In Japan, natto is a familiar staple, easily found in department stores, supermarkets, convenience stores, and drugstores, often at very reasonable prices.
But what about overseas?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, natto is exported to many countries. It can be purchased at supermarkets and Japanese grocery stores across the United States, China, Europe, Australia, and other regions in Asia. However, due to shipping, taxes, and import costs, natto is often a premium-priced food outside Japan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Commercially exported natto is usually frozen and transported by refrigerated shipping containers. Air freight using refrigerated containers is technically possible but rarely used because of extremely high transportation costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sending Natto Overseas Privately Is Difficult and Expensive<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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If individuals try to ship natto abroad, for example, to family or friends, options include EMS international express shipping or refrigerated courier services. However, these services are limited to a small number of destinations such as Taiwan, Singapore, and Malaysia. (Some restrictions remain due to the COVID-19 pandemic.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shipping to the United States or Europe is extremely difficult and costly. Sending natto as regular international mail is not recommended, as fermentation continues during transit and the product may spoil by the time it arrives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carrying natto by hand requires insulated bags, ice packs, and immediate access to cold storage upon arrival. Realistically, it\u2019s challenging during travel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Natto Export Rankings: China #1, United States #2<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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According to Japanese trade statistics reported in the Japan Food Journal (March 17, 2023), natto exports have grown rapidly in recent years. From 2017 to 2022, export volume nearly doubled. In 2022 alone, total export volume reached 3,143,289 kilograms<\/strong>, with a value of approximately 1.77 billion yen<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The largest export destination for natto is China<\/strong>, accounting for about 30%<\/strong> of total exports. When combined with Hong Kong, this figure rises to 39%<\/strong>. The second-largest destination is the United States<\/strong>, which represents 28%<\/strong> of Japan\u2019s natto exports. Between them, China and the U.S. make up roughly two-thirds<\/strong> of the entire export market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To put the scale into perspective, the total export volume, 3,143,289 kg, equates to approximately 69.85 million standard natto packs<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Overseas Natto Production on the Rise<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Natto production is expanding beyond Japan.
According to a natto industry database (2021), 19 countries and 46 factories<\/strong> produce natto worldwide, spanning:<\/p>\n\n\n\n