Only providing water

”The most important thing for ”wasabi” is the water. It has to be clear water or the ”wasabi” itself will have a cloudy taste.”
The person which told us this is Masahiro Sugiyama of Sugiyama Farm, whose family has been making ”wasabi” for generations.

”With other vegetables, nutrition is derived by mixing fertilizer into the soil, but nothing should be given to wasabi.
When we harvest like we are doing now, we must be careful not to leave anything such as mud.”
With instruction from Sugiyama, Nakata also plucked the ”wasabi” carefully from the ”wasabi” field where the water flowed.
Some are big as a human face. ”It grows this big!?!” Nakata exclaimed.

Used by famous sushi restaurants in Ginza

”Yes. There are actually many varieties of ”wasabi”. Some grow very large, and others not as much. Either way, we harvest the ones which have grown for about a year to year and a half. The young ”wasabi” might be spicy, but lacking flavor. If it’s over grown, the green color will not be as beautiful when grated.”
Sugiyama’s ”wasabi” has a high reputation for being not just spicy but also flavorful. He has won the grand prize many times at local contests. His ”wasabi” is shipped to many restaurants including famous sushi restaurants in Ginza.

”Wasabi” has a strong taste near the root and a strong fragrance near the leaves. Even with a single piece of ”wasabi”, depending on where it is grated, the taste is different, so chefs differentiate the taste depending on what they are cooking, he told us.

After harvesting, we were treated to Sugiyama’s special dish, ”wasabi rice”. It is a simple dish; warm rice topped with dried bonito flakes topped with a small amount of freshly grated ”wasabi”.
”It’s not too spicy. There is good smell too!” Nakata said surprised. Sugiyama said,
”Actually, ”wasabi” is not intended to pursue spiciness. Good ”wasabi” is one that has proper flavor. Maybe this is the best way to find out how delicious the ”wasabi” is.”

Another popular item at Sugiyama Farm is ”wasabi pickle”. The ”wasabi” is not used in the grated form but the long stem is used.
For this product, ”sake” lees from locally brewed ”sake”, ”Kikusui Daiginjo” from Fujieda, is used. It is a successful fusion of the sweetness of ”sake” lees, and the rich and flavorful spiciness of ”wasabi”. It goes well with ”sake” or with rice. There are many repeat purchasers.

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Wasabi only to be produced in Shizuoka

”Wasabi” is an important food ingredient for Japanese people since it is a vital part of many Japanese dishes such as sushi, sashimi, soba, etc. Its academic name is ”Wasabi japonica”, making it a genuine produce originating in Japan.

The word ”wasabi” is recorded in ancient literatures from the Nara period, describing its use for medicinal purposes. However, actual cultivation started unexpectedly late during the Edo period. At that time, Shizuoka was the sole producer of ”wasabi”.

For a long time, ”wasabi” production was limited to Shizuoka. The reason for this is that the Shogun, Ieyasu Tokugawa liked the ”wasabi” produced in Utogi so much that he banned any other region from producing it.

So, ”wasabi” was only permitted to be produced in Utogi. However, 100 years later, its production was expanded to Amagi Yugashima in Izu, Shizuoka as well. Since then, Shizuoka became one of the top producers of ”wasabi”. It was through this history that ”wasabi” became one of the specialized products of Shizuoka.

Cultivated by the water in Amagi Yugashima/h2>

We spoke with Masataka Asada, a ”wasabi” producer who has been protecting the ”wasabi” field which has been in existence for more than 80 years in Amagi Yugashima.
Asada grows ”wasabi” by drawing spring water from the deep mountains into the ”wasabi” field and maintaining the purity of the water with stable temperature throughout the year. We asked about the method and how to distinguish different ”wasabi” in the area.

Shizuoka ”wasabi” was not allowed to be produced elsewhere. We wondered how if Asada had recommendation as to how we should eat ”wasabi”.
”Is there any special way to eat it?”

”I don’t know if it’s special……” Asada served us ”wasabi miso”.
This is a simple dish where you grind wasabi in a food processor and mix it with ”miso”. ”The mixture of the sweetness of ”miso” and spiciness of ”wasabi” makes it a great combination!”, Nakata raved.

Wasabi made with the clean water of Amagi Yugashima. Yet again, we encountered the beauty of Japanese tradition.

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