Matsumoto [Part 1]

After a two hour train ride through a winding, tunnel filled mountain road, we arrive in Matsumoto.  There, we set out immediately for Hokata, home of the Daio Wasabi far. A helpful (English speaking) tourism guide directs us to the best place to rent bicycles.

On our way to Daio we stopped at a temple.

While I can’t find any confirming information, I believe the placard said that it was the tokoji temple and these were the shoes of a great buddha. All who wore the shoes would have good luck, etc. Jon, who hates fun, wouldn’t put the shoes on.

The afternoon that followed was the sort of scene they have in movies. You know the kind when the grumpy, desolate girl from New Jersey is swept off her feet by a rich, older man and they have a whirl-wind getaway in the countryside somewhere? Yeah, kind of like that.

With sunshine-filled blue skies overhead, the country highways provided excellent views of the enigmatic Japanese Alps.

I had always seen these mountains painted in such a way that I thought it was the regional watercolour style of painting. I had no idea that that the mountain ranges actually appear to be fading of in the distance, like each farther peak was shrouded in an increasingly dense fog. There’s no other way you could paint them. My photos do not do them justice.

If I look at my monitor in the right way, this photo has a very distinct large circle where the sun is. It’s incredible. I just cant stop looking at it and thinking that “the land of the rising sun” really means something here.

After a pleasant 20 minute bike ride, we arrive at Daio. Daio is essentially the Disney Land of wasabi farms. We’re in wasabi-country and Daio is the one that tour busses line up at.

The grounds were beautiful.

The wasabi was tasty. My only complaint was that it was a little too family friendly. The “wasabi beer” was more like St. Patrick’s Day Kirin and the only discernable quality about the “wasabi ice cream” was the chalky aftertaste it left. Honestly though, if my only complaint about the day was that my ice cream wasn’t spicy enough, I lead a charmed life.

This is fresh wasabi root. They make special dishes that you can grind it in! The best thing to do is to grind it about 15 minutes before you’re going to eat it. We read later that wasabi is similar to wine – a small amount of oxidation allows the flavours to meld and cohere (ie: get spicy), but too long and you lose the freshness and potency. I’ve been exclusively eating bad wasabi my entire life and didn’t even know it.