The Izu Wasabi Visitor Center is a facility established to disseminate various information about Izu wasabi and to facilitate interaction with the local community. The center clearly communicates the history of wasabi cultivation in Izu, the reasons for producing high-quality wasabi, and the key points of the “Traditional Cultivation of Shizuoka Water Wasabi” recognized as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System, using videos and graphic panels. It also provides information on the rules and precautions for visiting the wasabi fields. Since the wasabi fields do not have toilets or waste disposal facilities and are not fully equipped for tourism, visitors are asked to be considerate. Additionally, the center is considering offering taste comparison experiences for those who have never tried fresh wasabi or who want to experience the difference between it and the wasabi paste commonly used. Please come and experience the authentic aroma, color, and refreshing spiciness of real fresh wasabi.
Strawberries grow in greenhouses that are bathed in sunlight in the warm climate of Tahara City on the Atsumi Peninsula. From January to mid-May, you can pick juicy and sweet strawberries at Nikken Farm.
You will learn how to make and eat sushi at Gourmet College, where students will acquire knowledge directly from a sushi chef. The sushi toppings are Ondo oysters and fresh white fish from the Seto Inland Sea, a unique experience available exclusively in Ondo.
Yamanouchi is one of the leading producers of fruit in Nagano Prefecture. The clear streams from the Shiga Kogen Highlands and the difference in temperature between the day and night produce sweet and delicious fruit. Depending on the season, you can pick a variety of fruits such as cherries, blueberries, grapes, and apples at farms in the town. You can experience fruit-picking in Yamanouchi at authentic farmhouses, so you can enjoy the freshest market-ready fruits.
In Yamanouchi, Nagano Prefecture, a town known for its Sukagawa soba (buckwheat noodles), visitors can experience soba noodle-making at soba restaurants and guest houses in the town. The experience begins with grinding locally-grown buckwheat on a millstone. Using the leaves of a type of burdock called oyamabokuchi to thicken the noodles, soba is made in an authentic, old-fashioned way.
With water trickling down from the Hotaka Mountains and a cool climate with high night-day temperature variation, the Hakuma area is well-suited to buckwheat production, and is a major producer within the “buckwheat country” of Nagano. Many lodgings and soba restaurants in the Hakuba area offer experiences making soba noodles produced from this buckwheat. Experiences are approachable even for those with no experience, and participants can try their freshly made soba on the spot. Popular with families and students.
Kanzarashi are traditional sweets made by cooling boiled small dumplings in spring water. In Shimabara City, you can try your hand at making kanzarashi. Refined rice flour, called kanzarashi flour, is kneaded to form round dumplings, boiled, and then soaked in running water to finish. After immersing them in running water, the kanzarashi have a mild texture that goes well with sweet syrup. Try your hand at making your very own kanzarashi.
According to another report, after the riot in Shimabara-Amakusa, immigrants from Shodoshima introduced the method of making hand-stretch somen noodles. Visitors can experience the process of stretching the noodles to a length of about 2 meters by inserting a large pair of chopsticks called “sabaki. The texture of the freshly made “raw” somen noodles after stretching is chewy, a taste that can only be experienced in the area.
The islands of Minamichita have a history of flourishing as natural fishing harbors and are home to many fishermen. There are many guest houses run by fishermen on each island, where you will be treated to a variety of dishes made from fresh seafood. Why not enjoy a stay at a guest house in a harbor town where you can smell the salty sea breeze?
Himakajima Island, which is famous for the high quality octopus it produces, is known as the “octopus island” where dried octopus is actively produced, and visitors can experience the process of making dried octopus. Visitors can experience the process of removing the slime from the octopus, cutting it with a knife so that it can be easily dried, and then drying it in the sun.
![Enjoy early spring in Atsumi by picking strawberries! [Nikken Farm]](https://savorjp.info/wp/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/aichi_tahara_0810_6-350x230.jpeg)
