The influence of familiarity with eating a particular food on the preference for that food was examined by a sensory evaluation of four kinds of soybean paste ( miso ). We compared the preference for the four kinds of miso with two regionally distinct groups of volunteers. The group of participants coming from the Kinki district, a rice miso -producing area, had less preference for soy miso than the group of participants coming from the Chukyo district, a soy miso -producing area. The familiarity with soy miso is believed to have been responsible for the difference in preference for soy miso by these groups. The participants who did not like soy miso evaluated their preference for four kinds of miso twice. After the first test, they were divided into three groups and exposed to three situations: drinking soy miso soup, smelling soy miso soup, and a control (no familiarity). The group that drank soy miso soup preferred soy miso in the second test more than in the first test. These results suggest that familiarity with eating a particular food contributed to the preference for that food.