For most of my life, I’ve never been much of a mayonnaise fan. It went well on burgers and stuff, but really if the world’s supply had suddenly vanished I don’t think my life would have skipped a beat. That is until coming to Japan and discovering the beauty that is Kewpie brand mayonnaise.

Kewpie Mayo’s taste can best be described as waking up on a lazy Sunday morning to the gentle breath of a kitten by your face as you lay next to your model lover. We’re talking print model not runway – runway is more like Kenko brand mayonnaise.

And so, Kewpie Mayo has become an indispensable condiment to my daily dining routine as it has to millions of others in Japan. However, where can us devoted lovers of the sweet sauce go for information on the history and development of mayonnaise? Mayoterrace, that’s where!

The Mayoterrace facility will be divided into five sections when it opens near the end of May. First, upon entering the building you will find yourself in the Salad Hall.

Decorated with cute vegetable stools and a giant cap of a mayonnaise bottle emblazoned with the Kewpie logo, it’s the perfect place to gather yourself and gird your fundoshi before taking the full mayo experience.

If you head straight through the Salad Hall you’ll enter the Factory Walk section where you can see how the mayo gets into those classic Kewpie bottles and enjoy getting a sense of how the factory workers and inspectors produce this delicious mayonnaise.

To the left of the Salad Hall lies the Mayo Dome! Inside this wooden structure built 50 times to scale of an actual 450g bottle of Kewpie Mayo, you may learn the secret of its deliciousness. I’m guessing crack cocaine… or maybe apples.

Heading to the right of the Salad Hall beyond Mayo Dome is the Kewpie Gallery. This circular enclosure’s walls are decorated with images outlining the history of mayonnaise and its usage over the years. The growth of the Kewpie Group can also be seen. The sconces with Kewpie bottle lamps are especially cool looking.

Finally, farthest to the right is the Kewpie Kitchen. Walking around and exploring the world of mayonnaise is bound to make you work up an appetite, so why not stop by the kitchen and try some vegetable and mayo combinations, you might find a new personal favorite! Personally speaking, however, unless bacon or chocolate chip cookies (both of which go great with Kewpie mayo) have been reclassified as vegetables, I may have to skip this stop.

The Mayoterrace will open its doors for the first time on 26 May in Chofu, Tokyo at the Sengawa Kewport. Tours will run four times a day for groups of up to 25 people. So remember, if you think mayonnaise and terraces don’t go well together, then you don’t know Mayoterrace!

Source: Kewpie – Mayoterrace (Japanese)