A visit to the largest wasabi farm in Japan, and probably the world! (Photo-essay)

On the fourth day of my recent Japan trip, I said farewell to Nagano and took a train to Matsumoto.  Although Matsumoto has its share of attractions, I nonetheless decided after checking into my hotel there to board another train and head over to Hotaka, a nearby town that's home to the largest wasabi farm in Japan -- and presumably also the world.

I didn't really know what to expect that the Daio Wasabi Farm -- which is 15 hectares in size and  produces 150 tons of wasabi annually -- located on the outskirts of that small rural town would be like.  As it turned out, my experience there was the wasabi equivalent to Farm Tomita, the farm over in Furano, the part of Hokaaido where lavender is king.  Alternatively put: The Daio Wasabi Farm is tourist-friendly even while being a working farm.  And while its landscape may not be as colorful as Farm Tomita's, I found it really scenic and idyllic all the same -- and enjoyed strolling about the place, snake encounter and all! ;b

Before anything else: I decded I needed to fill my stomach

with a bowl of wasabi soba at the farm's restaurant! ;b

Then it was to the section of the wasabi farm which had featured

in Akira Kurosawa's Dreams (in particular, the section of

the magical realist film entitled The Village of the Waterwheels)

 Near the waterwheels which feature in the movie, a stream with 

slow moving water (and green vegetation) meets up with another 

with fast moving water whose color I associate with melted glaciers

Puppet Ponyo poses with a river's worth of wasabi plants

growing under a river's worth of netting

What's under all the netting -- wasabi plants planted in neat rows, 

and channels of spring water on either side of them to make sure tha

the gravel beds in which the wasabi plants growing in are kept moist

Workers with piles of newly harvested wasabi plants

at the Daio Wasabi Farm

The wasabi roots which can cost a pretty penny

-- in this case, up to 2000 Yen for a choice one! 

I wasn't about to try the wasabi beer or frankfurter on offer 

at the farm but did try the wasabi ice cream --  which actually 

was subtly sweet as well as on the slightly spicy side ;b