11. Tenerello Shiralica\uff08\u30c6\u30cd\u30ec\u30ed\u30fb\u30b7\u30e9\u30ea\u30ab\uff09<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n![\"11\uff0e\u30c6\u30cd\u30ec\u30c3\u30ed\u30fb\u30b7\u30e9\u30cb\u30ab](\"https:\/\/en.bita-d.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/11\uff0e\u30c6\u30cd\u30ec\u30c3\u30ed\u30fb\u30b7\u30e9\u30cb\u30ab_front-1024x576.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"11\uff0e\u30c6\u30cd\u30ec\u30c3\u30ed\u30fb\u30b7\u30e9\u30cb\u30ab](\"https:\/\/en.bita-d.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/11\uff0e\u30c6\u30cd\u30ec\u30c3\u30ed\u30fb\u30b7\u30e9\u30cb\u30ab_back-1024x576.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"11\uff0e\u30c6\u30cd\u30ec\u30c3\u30ed\u30fb\u30b7\u30e9\u30cb\u30ab](\"https:\/\/en.bita-d.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/11\uff0e\u30c6\u30cd\u30ec\u30c3\u30ed\u30fb\u30b7\u30e9\u30cb\u30ab_bread-1024x576.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nMaker:<\/strong> Shiranuka Rakukeisha | Purchased:<\/strong> August 19, 2025 | Price:<\/strong> \u00a5821 for 110g (as of September 20, 2026, per this shop<\/a>) | Website<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nClean and mild, without much depth, and the salt is light. Probably about what you'd expect for the price. It's better than processed cheese, but not exceptional. A little underwhelming, honestly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
12. Gouda\uff08\u30b4\u30fc\u30c0\uff09<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n![\"12\uff0e\u30b4\u30fc\u30c0](\"https:\/\/en.bita-d.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/12\uff0e\u30b4\u30fc\u30c0_front-1024x576.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"12\uff0e\u30b4\u30fc\u30c0](\"https:\/\/en.bita-d.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/12\uff0e\u30b4\u30fc\u30c0_back-1024x576.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nMaker:<\/strong> Ashoro Cheese Workshop | Purchased:<\/strong> February 2024 (approximate) | Price:<\/strong> \u00a51,420 (as of September 21, 2026, per the shop site<\/a>) | Website<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nThe flavour is thin. It has that hard-to-cut, processed-cheese feel. On bread, it barely registers. Eaten plain, it's a mild-flavoured cheese. I'm honestly not sure what to pair it with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
13. Pecorino Ishikarino\uff08\u30da\u30b3\u30ea\u30fc\u30ce\u30fb\u30a4\u30b7\u30ab\u30ea\u30ce\uff09<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n![\"13\uff0e\u30da\u30b3\u30ea\u30ce\u30fb\u30a4\u30b7\u30ab\u30ea\u30fc\u30ce\"](\"https:\/\/en.bita-d.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/13\uff0e\u30da\u30b3\u30ea\u30ce\u30fb\u30a4\u30b7\u30ab\u30ea\u30fc\u30ce-1-1024x576.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nMaker:<\/strong> Arc Trade | Purchased:<\/strong> July 16, 2025 | Price:<\/strong> \u00a5984 | Website<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nThis is a sheep's milk cheese made by Cheese Market, a specialty cheese shop in Sapporo. When I tried it in-store before, it felt a bit under-aged. This particular batch had less salt and stronger umami \u2014 the kind of pecorino you could easily eat a generous amount of.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
14. Smoked Rakuka\uff08\u30b9\u30e2\u30fc\u30af\u30fb\u30e9\u30af\u30ab\uff09<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n![\"14\uff0e\u30b9\u30e2\u30fc\u30af\u916a\u4f73](\"https:\/\/en.bita-d.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/14\uff0e\u30b9\u30e2\u30fc\u30af\u916a\u4f73_front-1024x576.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"14\uff0e\u30b9\u30e2\u30fc\u30af\u916a\u4f73](\"https:\/\/en.bita-d.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/14\uff0e\u30b9\u30e2\u30fc\u30af\u916a\u4f73_back-1024x576.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"14\uff0e\u30b9\u30e2\u30fc\u30af\u916a\u4f73](\"https:\/\/en.bita-d.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/14\uff0e\u30b9\u30e2\u30fc\u30af\u916a\u4f73_pasta-1024x576.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nMaker:<\/strong> Sarabetsu Cheese Workshop | Purchased:<\/strong> July 16, 2025 | Price:<\/strong> \u00a51,672 | No dedicated website<\/p>\n\n\n\nTrue to its name, the smoky flavour is strong. A completely different character from something like Parmigiano. Distinctive and delicious. It's so firm that grating it is genuinely tiring on the hands. In a pasta sauce with eggplant, tomato, and ground meat, the smokiness disappears. Last time, I grated it over capellini and it was excellent that way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
15. Tomu\uff08\u30c8\u30e0\uff09<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n![\"15\uff0e\u5bcc\u5922](\"https:\/\/en.bita-d.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/15\uff0e\u5bcc\u5922_front-1024x576.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"15\uff0e\u5bcc\u5922](\"https:\/\/en.bita-d.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/15\uff0e\u5bcc\u5922_back-1024x576.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nMaker:<\/strong> Tomita Farm | Purchased:<\/strong> February 15, 2024 | Price:<\/strong> \u00a51,057 | Website<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nDoesn't really taste like a Gouda. It has a semi-hard feel, but it's easy to slice. The flavour is more like processed cheese \u2014 maybe because the one I bought was only aged 4 months? A bit underwhelming. It's in the Comt\u00e9 family, but this one is too young to compare fairly. I'd like to try the 12-month version.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n- \u30101\/4\u3011Japanese Natural Cheese, Tasted and Reviewed (Hard & Semi-Hard Cheeses)<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- \u30102\/4\u3011Japanese Natural Cheese, Tasted and Reviewed (Hard & Semi-Hard Cheeses)<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- \u30103\/4\u3011Japanese Natural Cheese, Tasted and Reviewed (Hard & Semi-Hard Cheeses)<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- \u30104\/4\u3011Japanese Natural Cheese, Tasted and Reviewed (Hard & Semi-Hard Cheeses)<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
This channel is run by a Japanese woman living in Japan, sharing a look at everyday Japanese food and culture. I hope it gives you some fun souvenir ideas and a few useful tips for everyday life along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
This post rounds up my notes on every hard and semi-hard Japanese natural cheese I've tried so far. These are honest, personal tasting notes rather than professional reviews, but I hope they're useful if you're exploring Japanese cheese yourself. 11. Tenerello Shiralica\uff08\u30c6\u30cd\u30ec\u30ed\u30fb\u30b7\u30e9\u30ea\u30ab\uff09 Maker: Shiranuka Rakukeisha | Purchased: August 19, 2025 | Price: \u00a5821 for 110g […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":750,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"slim_seo":{"description":"I tasted and reviewed 20 Japanese hard and semi-hard natural cheeses, comparing them to my favorites, Comt\u00e9 and Edam. Real notes from a home bread baker in Japan.","title":"\u30103\/4\u3011Japanese Natural Cheese, Tasted and Reviewed (Hard & Semi-Hard Cheeses) - A Japanese Life"},"sns_share_botton_hide":"","vkExUnit_sns_title":"","_vk_print_noindex":"","sitemap_hide":"","_veu_custom_css":"","veu_display_promotion_alert":"","vkexunit_cta_each_option":"","_lightning_design_setting":[],"_slim_seo_primary_term_category":8,"_slim_seo_primary_term_post_tag":37,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[38,40,39,37],"class_list":["post-748","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-food","tag-cheese","tag-hokkaido","tag-japanese-cheese","tag-natural-cheese"],"veu_head_title_object":{"title":"","add_site_title":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.bita-d.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/748","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.bita-d.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.bita-d.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.bita-d.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.bita-d.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=748"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/en.bita-d.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/748\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":806,"href":"https:\/\/en.bita-d.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/748\/revisions\/806"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.bita-d.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/750"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.bita-d.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=748"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.bita-d.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=748"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.bita-d.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=748"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nMaker:<\/strong> Shiranuka Rakukeisha | Purchased:<\/strong> August 19, 2025 | Price:<\/strong> \u00a5821 for 110g (as of September 20, 2026, per this shop<\/a>) | Website<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Clean and mild, without much depth, and the salt is light. Probably about what you'd expect for the price. It's better than processed cheese, but not exceptional. A little underwhelming, honestly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maker:<\/strong> Ashoro Cheese Workshop | Purchased:<\/strong> February 2024 (approximate) | Price:<\/strong> \u00a51,420 (as of September 21, 2026, per the shop site<\/a>) | Website<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n The flavour is thin. It has that hard-to-cut, processed-cheese feel. On bread, it barely registers. Eaten plain, it's a mild-flavoured cheese. I'm honestly not sure what to pair it with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maker:<\/strong> Arc Trade | Purchased:<\/strong> July 16, 2025 | Price:<\/strong> \u00a5984 | Website<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n This is a sheep's milk cheese made by Cheese Market, a specialty cheese shop in Sapporo. When I tried it in-store before, it felt a bit under-aged. This particular batch had less salt and stronger umami \u2014 the kind of pecorino you could easily eat a generous amount of.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maker:<\/strong> Sarabetsu Cheese Workshop | Purchased:<\/strong> July 16, 2025 | Price:<\/strong> \u00a51,672 | No dedicated website<\/p>\n\n\n\n True to its name, the smoky flavour is strong. A completely different character from something like Parmigiano. Distinctive and delicious. It's so firm that grating it is genuinely tiring on the hands. In a pasta sauce with eggplant, tomato, and ground meat, the smokiness disappears. Last time, I grated it over capellini and it was excellent that way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maker:<\/strong> Tomita Farm | Purchased:<\/strong> February 15, 2024 | Price:<\/strong> \u00a51,057 | Website<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Doesn't really taste like a Gouda. It has a semi-hard feel, but it's easy to slice. The flavour is more like processed cheese \u2014 maybe because the one I bought was only aged 4 months? A bit underwhelming. It's in the Comt\u00e9 family, but this one is too young to compare fairly. I'd like to try the 12-month version.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This channel is run by a Japanese woman living in Japan, sharing a look at everyday Japanese food and culture. I hope it gives you some fun souvenir ideas and a few useful tips for everyday life along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This post rounds up my notes on every hard and semi-hard Japanese natural cheese I've tried so far. These are honest, personal tasting notes rather than professional reviews, but I hope they're useful if you're exploring Japanese cheese yourself. 11. Tenerello Shiralica\uff08\u30c6\u30cd\u30ec\u30ed\u30fb\u30b7\u30e9\u30ea\u30ab\uff09 Maker: Shiranuka Rakukeisha | Purchased: August 19, 2025 | Price: \u00a5821 for 110g […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":750,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"slim_seo":{"description":"I tasted and reviewed 20 Japanese hard and semi-hard natural cheeses, comparing them to my favorites, Comt\u00e9 and Edam. Real notes from a home bread baker in Japan.","title":"\u30103\/4\u3011Japanese Natural Cheese, Tasted and Reviewed (Hard & Semi-Hard Cheeses) - A Japanese Life"},"sns_share_botton_hide":"","vkExUnit_sns_title":"","_vk_print_noindex":"","sitemap_hide":"","_veu_custom_css":"","veu_display_promotion_alert":"","vkexunit_cta_each_option":"","_lightning_design_setting":[],"_slim_seo_primary_term_category":8,"_slim_seo_primary_term_post_tag":37,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[38,40,39,37],"class_list":["post-748","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-food","tag-cheese","tag-hokkaido","tag-japanese-cheese","tag-natural-cheese"],"veu_head_title_object":{"title":"","add_site_title":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.bita-d.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/748","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.bita-d.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.bita-d.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.bita-d.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.bita-d.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=748"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/en.bita-d.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/748\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":806,"href":"https:\/\/en.bita-d.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/748\/revisions\/806"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.bita-d.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/750"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.bita-d.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=748"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.bita-d.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=748"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.bita-d.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=748"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}12. Gouda\uff08\u30b4\u30fc\u30c0\uff09<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n13. Pecorino Ishikarino\uff08\u30da\u30b3\u30ea\u30fc\u30ce\u30fb\u30a4\u30b7\u30ab\u30ea\u30ce\uff09<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n14. Smoked Rakuka\uff08\u30b9\u30e2\u30fc\u30af\u30fb\u30e9\u30af\u30ab\uff09<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n15. Tomu\uff08\u30c8\u30e0\uff09<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n