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In Imabari city, Ehime Prefecture, there is a European style palace designed after Belvedere palace in Vienna, Austria.

It looks like European nobles live there, but no one lives in the palace, because it is a factory!

The KO palace factory is owned by one of the Japanese major sauce and seasoning company, Nihon Shokken Holdings, and they make sauce for yakiniku(grilled meat) in the palace.

It was build commemorate the company’s 35th anniversary spending 8,000 million yen (about 96 million US dollars).

Japanese people are familiar with the company’s yakiniku sauce TV commercial, which was filmed at the palace. The song goes “Palace♪ Palace♪ Yakiniku Sauce♪ Actually made in a palace♪” and repeats in many people’s heads (^_^)

Excitingly, they give tours of the palace for the visitors. You can visit the factory, the world food culture museum, the hum and sausage museum, and the Nihon Shokken products exhibition in the site. For lunch, you can enjoy the sauce at the cafeteria (better to reserve).

[Tour Information]

Reservation is required.

Admission Fee: Adult 1,000 yen (US$12), Elementary to High School student 600 yen, Little child Free.

Courses: there are three courses (one to three and a half hours).

Closed: Sundays, Holidays, the second, third, and forth Saturdays. Summer and New Year holidays of the company.

Address: 3,1-Chome Tomitashinko, Imabari City, Ehime Pref. 799-1582 Japan

Tel: 81-898-33-2011

Fax: 81-898-25-8471

More tour information (http://www.nihonshokken.co.jp/enjoy/tour/) (Japanese)

This is JAPAN Style!

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