Okutama, Japan —
Most people know about wasabi. The bright green Japanese paste is famous for its piercing spiciness, is an integral part of sushi, and is now so widespread that it serves as inspiration for cocktails and snacks. But even the most avid sushi eater has probably never eaten real wasabi. Instead, it is usually served with horseradish mixed with green food coloring.
Most wasabi sold in the United States and elsewhere is fake. However, real wasabi is only a small part of the Japanese market, so a trip to Japan won’t necessarily come in handy. That makes Michelin-starred Mutsukari, located in the heart of Tokyo’s Ginza district, an exception. Since opening in 2004, the restaurant has been using “honwasabi,” or real wasabi.
“Raw wasabi initially has a pungent taste and aroma, but eventually becomes soft, smooth and creamy on the tongue,” chef Yoshihisa Akiyama told CNN, comparing it to fake green paste, which is usually aggressive and pungent. His omakase menu delves deep into locally sourced ingredients and accents with local vegetables. So he’s very particular about the supply chain. Combining Japanese herbs with the right dish transforms its flavor, he says.
However, high-quality wasabi is becoming increasingly rare. Supply has declined sharply over the past 20 years.日本の農業人口の高齢化と後継者不足だけでなく、気候変動と農業が育つ川の温度上昇も植物にストレスを与えています。
わさびは2年間の成長サイクルを通して、安定した水温と日光にさらされる必要があるため、栽培は困難です。最近のわさびの価格は 1 ポンドあたり 100 ドルから 200 ドルの間で、収穫後 1 週間以内に使い切るのが最適です。 Therefore, many people turn to cheaper imitations that can last for several months.
“Freshly harvested ingredients have a strong flavor, so it is important to serve them as soon as possible after harvest,” says Akiyama. “Freshness is important for wasabi.”
Fortunately, he doesn’t have to travel far.東京から80マイル未満の奥多摩では、農家が江戸時代（1603年から1868年）以来日本の植物を栽培してきました。 There, he said, he found a “treasure” in the shape of stone rice terraces. His newest suppliers are two brothers, Hitoshi Kadoi and Tatsuya “Tacchan” Kadoi, and their colleague Momo Oshida.
Historically, Okutama was Japan’s third-largest wasabi-growing region, but in recent years that goal has been challenged.
“In 2019, Okutama was devastated by Typhoon No. 19, which destroyed 150 wasabi farms. To date, only 50 of them have been restored. There were not enough people left to take over the farms, so I thought that if my brother and I intervened, we could contribute to the preservation of wasabi in Tokyo. That’s how we started,” explains Tacchan Kadoi (40).
Growing wasabi takes time and patience.角井さんは、兄弟たちは伝統的な「奥多摩様式」に従い、「山の形に沿って段々畑を作り、その地域で見つかった小さな石を使って植栽床を構築してきた」と語った。 “Eventually, the roots of the surrounding trees will bind the stones together, allowing us to plant the wasabi.”
「日差しが強すぎるときは、日陰を作ります。川に落ちた落ち葉を取り除く必要があります。冬には、『寒冷紗』（軽量で黒い合成繊維のメッシュ）を使って水を温め、寒さから植物を守る対策を講じます」と角井さんは説明し、気候変動により彼らの作業がさらに予測不可能になったと付け加えた。 water quality has changed. ”
After two years of regularly tending all of their “small fields scattered deep in the mountains,” the brothers are finally able to harvest the plants. Wasabi is better eaten in winter because it has a stronger flavor, but since wasabi is harvested all year round, cultivation is time-consuming.
“Once we harvest by hand, we wash the plants and clean them with a knife to make them look nice,” he said. “We call it ‘dressing’. We then cut the stems into about 45 centimeters (about 18 inches) and ship everything in cardboard boxes (directly to restaurants). Wasabi is a perishable vegetable, so it’s best to use up the rhizome within a week or so. The fresher it is, the more it retains its vigor and flavor.”
Tokyo Wasabi currently supplies products to several companies, including Chef Akiyama, its own food truck Wasabi Shokudo, and its coffee brand Wasabi Coffee. But eventually we want to scale up.
According to some estimates, the global market size for real and fake wasabi was valued at approximately $468.8 million in 2025 and is expected to reach nearly $924 million by 2034. “Studies have revealed many potential benefits, including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, possible cancer prevention effects, beneficial memory functions, hair growth effects, and reduced hay fever symptoms,” Kadoi said.
Growing demand both locally and globally is causing widespread changes in the wasabi supply chain. The priority for the brothers is increasing production, and ultimately leveraging technology to do so.
“Even though we are located in a metropolitan area, we grow wasabi outdoors in a rich natural environment, and everything is done by hand,” Kado says. “Ultimately, we want to combine these traditional, hands-on methods with advanced agricultural technologies such as drones.”
業界全体で、監視、高精度センサー、自動環境制御のためのドローンの使用が増えていますが、奥多摩では、まず接続性と 5G を改善する必要があります。 If that happens, Kadoi said, it will be possible to expand the scale while maintaining the method.
On the other hand, its remoteness is part of what attracts tourists. Approximately half of the visitors to the team’s mountain tours are from overseas.海外の人々はこの日本のハーブを年々愛しているようで、この植物の将来の輸出の可能性に期待を抱いていると角井氏は語った。
