The Finest Flavor / Visiting a Wasabi Field in a Hidden Forest of Tokyo
Setting out from central Tokyo, the train raced toward Ome, and after changing trains two or three times along the way, the city high-rises had quietly given way to scattered low houses and the green shade of distant mountains; two hours later, we arrived at Kawai Station, which looks just like a small railway stop on Alishan.
This is Okutama, a small town surrounded by mountain ranges on the near outskirts of western Tokyo. Although it is a small town, it still falls within the boundaries of Tokyo Metropolis, and its inland highland terrain gives it a climate quite different from that of the city center, with an annual average temperature of only 11°C to 12°C, and heavy snow in winter, making it the area with the greatest snowfall within Tokyo Metropolis. It is precisely this cool climate year-round that has made this place a uniquely favored production area for wasabi fields (WASABI-DA わさびだ).
Before leaving, we sat in the forest and tasted Mrs. DAVID's mushroom rice cooked in a pot, paired with freshly grated WASABI agar side dish. Listening to the murmuring water in the fields while looking at the wasabi before us, in this highly demanding pure hidden realm, it was only through the stone-walled terraced fields built here over past years and the long wait of the coming 20 months that today's sweet bite of pungency could be won. Even though it plays only a supporting role in a dish, behind it lies cultivation with the highest standards of care and dedication.
Perhaps that is precisely why wasabi can achieve the "finest flavor" that is indispensable in Japanese cuisine!