You might not give very much thought to what makes any particular soy sauce different from another. However, did you know that the soy sauce you dip your sushi into at our Japanese restaurant in Lynnwood is of a distinctly Japanese variety? Indeed, there is an important distinction between Japanese soy sauces and the original Chinese recipe.
The principle difference between the Chinese and Japanese soy sauces is the mix of soybeans with grains like wheat. Chinese soy sauce almost always has little or no wheat, while a majority of Japanese soy sauces will have a greater wheat concentration. The wheat gives the Japanese sauce a sweeter flavor, which likely accounts for how most of the soy sauces you find in the stores and restaurants of the States are of Japanese origin.