This is a project to create and globally market Wasabi Experience and Wasabi Tourism contents to enjoy the Shizuoka Wasabi Agricultural World Heritage Area.
Originally, as part of our adventure tourism program, we visited the Wasabi fields of Ikadaba in Izu, a World Agricultural Heritage site, and decided to plan various travel plans with more wasabi producers and with wasabi as the starting point, under the basic concept of Wasabi As a Service. experiments.
The trip starts with a visit to the wasabi fields of Ikadaba, which have been recognized as a World Agricultural Heritage site. The visit alone is worth a great deal of effort, as there are almost no large wasabi fields in Japan.
We will hear from a family member, producing wasabi for 16 generations, from Mr. Asada, who has an area in the wasabi fields of Ikadaba and can be called a wasabi super-Japanese. He has received awards from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the Forestry Agency, and Shizuoka City, etc. What is noteworthy is the ancient documents that have been left behind in his family. Hearing Mr. Asada talk about wasabi based on ancient documents is definitely something you cannot do without visiting Izu to experience wasabi.
If you have a Wasabi expert teach you how to rub Wasabi, or tell you the difference between Wasabi and Western Wasabi, or tell you that the aroma is completely different depending on how you rub it, or tell you that you should rub it at this strength, you will experience eating sushi with this Wasabi. The experience of eating sushi with this wasabi is very different from the experience of eating sushi with other wasabi.
Mr. Asada’s garden is so huge that a river flows through it, and he also produces wasabi here, making it a perfect walking course. Afterwards, his wife will help you experience making wasabi pickles. The course includes the opportunity to make your own very tasty food. Of course, she will teach you how to do it.
Mr. Asada’s wife will prepare your own wasabi. Depending on the time of year, we may have to set up a program in which you pick the wasabi yourself. A presentation ceremony will be held with the Wasabi grinder also given to you at the same time, and you will now go out to experience the surrounding area, enjoying various local foods with your own Wasabi.
In Izu, the cultivation of shiitake mushrooms is very popular, and shiitake mushrooms are cultivated by shooting shiitake mushroom fungi into logs. Visitors can enjoy the experience of collecting shiitake mushrooms from the logs, then grill the shiitake mushrooms on the spot, grind their own wasabi and eat it on the shiitake mushrooms, a very primitive experience. The world you create yourself in the mountains is very well received.
For lunch, the simplest way to eat wasabi is to eat wasabi rice (wasabi + dried bonito flakes + rice) with your own wasabi.
Shuzenji is famous for its hot springs, so there are many onsen ryokans, but this time we stayed at the Marriott Shuzenji. Since this is a Marriott Group hotel, the rooms are very spacious, and each room has an open-air onsen bath, so you can enjoy Shuzenji’s unique atmosphere. Although it is a bit far from the city, I think it is a very nice place to relax. We hope you will enjoy the hot spring here first.
Dinner will be served at a nearby sushi restaurant, where Mr.Oscar, famous for his NHK program, will give a lecture on Japanese green tea and Japanese tea tasting, and at the same time, you will make your own sushi with wasabi that you picked up yourself. This is not just a sushi-making experience, but a way to enjoy the process of being involved in all aspects of the food you eat.
The next morning, we will take a walk around the hot spring resort. A morning stroll around the bamboo paths is enjoyable. Nearby, a new washi (Japanese paper) workshop has been established, so visitors can enjoy the experience of making washi. The area has clean water so that wasabi grows there, therefore it seems that washi making was also popular there. This will be a two birds with one stone trip where you can also experience washi making.
Then there is wasabi dyeing. It is not easy to do because you need a lot of wasabi to do it. Scarves and handkerchiefs can be dyed in about one hour before you take them home.
Izu is a very large city, and the cherry blossoms of Toi area and Kawazu area are famous, and depending on the time of year, we would definitely recommend this place for the purpose of enjoying nature. Esthetic treatments using rare white loquat are also available for women, and we highly recommend Joren Falls and Mt. Daruma where you can have fantastic views of Mt.Fuji You can also enjoy walking and trekking, and since it is a valley, kayaking is also possible. Corona Dawn makes Family Travel become more and more popular, but if you have children, it is very useful for families as well to travel around here.
There are many historic ryokans including Asaba, so we hope you will enjoy wasabi tourism by incorporating other gastronomy plans according to your budget.
