Wasabi Experience and Soba Noodle Making Tour in Okutama

Tokyo is a city where diverse cuisines from all over the world gather and evolve.
It is also the birthplace of various ingredients, including traditional Edo vegetables.

The seasonal blessings born from Tokyo’s unique natural environment,
the passion, stories, and smiles of the producers,
and the chefs who weave Tokyo’s food culture with traditional techniques and innovative ideas.

A one-of-a-kind Gastronomic experience in Tokyo
will surely give you new insights into your daily life.

Tokyo Gastronomy Tourism
Enjoy the food nurtured by the climate, environment, customs, traditions, and history of the land, and experience the local culinary culture at the essence of this trip.
The time spent learning, understanding, and savoring will color your experience.

Wasabi Experience and Soba Noodle Making Tour in Okutama

Tokyo is one of the largest cities in the world, but at the same time, it is a city with a rich natural environment.

One hour and thirty minutes by train from the city center lies the town of Okutama, in the northwest of Tokyo.
The town is characterized by expansive forests and mountain streams. A trip to Okutama allows you to explore the natural beauty of Tokyo's water source and the culinary delights it offers.
Updated: March 21, 2024

Advisor

Mr. Hitoshi Tsunoi・Mr. Tatsuya Tsunoi
(The Wasabi Brothers)
In the mountains of the town of Okutama in Tokyo, wasabi is cultivated in the fields. In March 2020, the activity known as TOKYO WASABI was officially launched by the Wasabi Brothers.
While preserving the traditional cultivation of wasabi in Okutama, various activities are undertaken with the theme of “Sharing Okutama's Wasabi with the World.”

Try wild deer meat from Okutama

Our trip began with a visit to the charming culinary stage, Shokujidokoro Chiwaki, located approximately 40 minutes by car from JR Ome Station.
This traditional farmhouse restaurant offers a unique dining experience.

Here at Chiwaki, you can enjoy local delicacies such as sweet fish and wild vegetables.
This time, we were served grilled deer caught in Okutama.
Game meat, also known as gibier, has recently been gaining popularity, but in Okutama, it has long been consumed as a valuable source of nutrition.
I had expected wild deer to be tough and wild in taste, but when I brought it to my mouth, it was far more tender than I had imagined.
The more I chewed, the more I could sense the umami of the lean meat.
I was surprised by its softness and wonderful flavor.
This is the kind of food that you can only experience at a certain place at a certain time while you are there in person.

This is one of the pleasures of traveling.

To the cultivation area of Hon Wasabi

Departing from Shokujidokoro Chiwaki, we drove for 30 minutes, enjoying the views of the mountain ranges and Lake Okutama.
Our next destination was a visit to the cultivation grounds of wasabi, a renowned local product of Okutama, essential for sushi, sashimi, and as a condiment in Japanese cuisine.

Our guides for the trip were Hitoshi and Tatsuya Tsunoi, known as the Wasabi Brothers.
To get to the Wasabi Field, they first gave us a lecture on walking in the stream.
After the lecture, we strapped into boots and explored the streams of Okutama for the wasabi fields!

TOKYO WASABI, cultivated by the blessings of water and the heartfelt dedication of producers.

The Wasabi Brothers shared various insights about wasabi. They emphasized the crucial need for clean water for the growth of wasabi.
They also explained that in the water-rich region of Okutama, wasabi has been cultivated since the Edo period, often presented as a tribute to the Shogunate.
Wasabi grown in the diverse natural environment of Okutama, with significant temperature variations, ranks third in Japan in terms of production volume and is highly esteemed by chefs.

Sushi is now a globally renowned dish, and with its popularity, there grew an increasing interest in wasabi abroad.
Visitors from abroad are also coming to visit the wasabi fields in Okutama.

Despite the growing global interest in wasabi, the number of wasabi farmers has been decreasing due to the aging population in the region.

To prevent the loss of traditional wasabi cultivation, the Wasabi Brothers have been actively involved in organizing tours to introduce wasabi, participating in food events, and undertaking various initiatives to promote Okutama wasabi.

Elegance hidden within freshly harvested wasabi, with its sweetness and aroma.

After our lecture, we arrived at the wasabi field, where we tasted wasabi.
The Wasabi Brothers recommended that we try some freshly picked and ground wasabi, and it was so sweet!
What a delight!
It was the first time I experienced sweetness spreading in my mouth after eating wasabi.
The sweetness was accompanied by the strong aroma of wasabi that slipped through my nose.
Only the flavor of wasabi remained on the tongue, with no trace of spiciness.
I was really surprised at how different it was from commonly sold store-bought wasabi and later learned the cultivation method is different.

Being Japanese, I thought I was familiar with the taste of wasabi, but this was another discovery.
Such discoveries are indeed one of the highlights of traveling to production areas.

Finish the trip with Soba

The last program of the culinary trip in Okutama was the experience of making soba noodles at the Yama no Furusato Village.
It is a pleasure to eat a meal prepared by someone else, but there is a different kind of deliciousness in food prepared by one's own hands.
This is especially true when cooking with family and friends.
After making soba noodles, topping them with fresh wasabi, and tasting the noodles firsthand, it truly encapsulated the culinary essence of Okutama.
The final meal was also of indescribable, exceptional deliciousness.

That’s a wrap

Explore the quest for that delicious bite and make your everyday meals even more enjoyable and delightful through a one-day culinary trip in Tokyo, where you can enjoy a trip filled with tasty discoveries.

（This article presents the implementation report of the project conducted by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government during the 2023 fiscal year, aimed at promoting the appeal of gastronomic tourism in Tokyo）

Destination

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