TOKYO >> Japanese mayonnaise, sauces, curry and other liquid seasonings are taking off abroad, with exports doubling in the past 10 years.

Many foreign tourists now drop by food manufacturers’ visitor centers, and some of these centers have become tourist hot spots.

On Oct. 9, 15 international visitors enjoyed a mayonnaise tasting at Mayoterrace, a visitor center operated by major food company Kewpie Corp. in Chofu, Tokyo.

Australian Charlotte Townsend, 26, said that visiting the center was one of the reasons for her trip, adding that she found Japanese mayonnaise rich and smooth.

E.J. Bollman, 29, from the United States, said she uses Japanese mayonnaise for everything and that she no longer eats American mayonnaise.

Mayoterrace, which opened in 2014, had almost no foreign visitors before the COVID-19 pandemic, but their number has grown rapidly this year. In September, 461 foreigners visited the center, accounting for 20% of that month’s visitor total, according to Kewpie.

Japanese mayonnaise became popular overseas several years ago, the company said. Dishes with Japanese mayonnaise were a hot topic on American social media, and “Kewpie mayo” went viral.

“Unlike mayonnaise that is made in foreign countries with whole eggs, ours uses only egg yolks, so it has a rich egg flavor. It seems they like the richness and umami of our mayonnaise,” said Kewpie public relations official Satoko Murozuka.

A new factory is currently being built in the U.S. and is scheduled to be completed in 2025.

Meanwhile, Hiroshima-based sauce manufacturer Otafuku Sauce Co. is running Okosta, a facility where visitors can get first-hand experience making okonomiyaki (savory pancakes). The establishment in Hiroshima Station draws a constant stream of international visitors.

Last year, 4,701 foreigners accounted for 30% of all visitors, an increase of 80% compared to before the pandemic.

“They like the mild sweetness and richness of the sauce,” a company spokesperson said.

More okonomiyaki restaurants, as well as takoyaki restaurants, are now opening in Europe. Takoyaki is grilled, ball-shaped battered octopus.

Otafuku Sauce opened its Paris branch in June, its first European base. The company said it plans to continue expanding.

Exports of liquid seasonings have been on the rise every year. Exports in 2023 totaled 54.35 billion yen (about $351.2 million), an increase of 150% from 2013.

The Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry has deemed liquid seasonings a priority export.

A ministry official said exports have increased in part because the number of Japanese restaurants internationally has more than tripled over the past decade. A variety of Japanese food has been introduced globally through social media, the official said, and people are interested in seasonings key to Japanese food.

But by far, the most popular export is curry. The product is mostly purchased in the form of curry roux, which accounts for 20% of liquid seasoning exports.

The United Kingdom, for instance, is experiencing a boom in katsu curry, made with pork cutlet. For Muslims who do not eat pork, chicken is a convenient substitute.

The All Japan Curry Manufacturers Association said that people like the mildness of the curry sauce and the heft of the cutlet.

“We want to promote Japanese curry to the world as ‘the third kind of curry,’ after Indian and Thai,” said Kosuke Nakajima of the association.