One common thread in all the ryokan that I’ve stayed at over the past few years is that the smaller it is, the more it feels hospitable. I mean, big ryokan won’t collect you from the eki in a driving rainstorm. Small ones do.
My only problem (NOT a complaint) is that Matsumoto dun have enough low cost ryokan. Nonya Ryokan was the most affordable I could find through the booking engine I use and that was Y5000 for one night. Usually my lodging costs at MOST, Y4000/day. That’s a difference of Y1000. And includes wi-fi. Just something to keep in mind if you come up here to eat wasabi infused food or nearly bump your head on a low column in Matsumoto Jo. Y1000 is most of a meal here. Or two beers. Keeping that in mind, I got on a train with a bunch of other overprepared Japanese hikers equipped with backpacks, hats and ekiben and headed out to Hodaka, where Japan’s largest wasabi farm is. And a nature area with a bunch of trails for them to hike. Since I was underprepared, I went to the farm. Overprepared? Go commune with nature.
When I arrived at JR Hodaka eki, I saw very little in basi here. The tourist information bureau suggested that I rent a bicycle. Since much of the area here is flat (again!), it shouldn’t be a problem, if you ignore the searing heat and humidity.
The bike rental place, just outside of the Eki
Y200/hour for a bicycle? Whatta bargain! And they didn’t even take a deposit or make me prepay! The guy spoke english, drew out a path on the map and sent me on my way. I luuuuurve this part of Japan! The ride to the wasabi farm turned out to be one of the high points of the trip. It was very pretty and serene. And very green.
Once you clear the town area, this is what the next kilometer or two looks like.
The country air was nice and there weren’t too many cars on the road
This is the river you cross before you enter the farm.
14 minutes and one wrong turn later, I found the wasabi farm.
It was easy since the path was well marked. If you followed the map!
looks like something you’d see marking a winery
The first thing I noticed about this place was that there’s a lot of stuff to buy. And then there’s the wasabi. First you can have it in raw form.
I got yr wasabi, rrrrright here!
Or you can eat it in pickles, ice cream, soba, chocolate and most every kind of food you can infuse that eye tearing flavor into. I had the ice cream. The wasabi taste was there but subtle. The sweet cancelled out the harsh sting so all you had was a nice aftertaste, like a good cigar. *here ends my Anthony Bourdain moment*
This is how a wasabi ice cream stand looks like. It was more like a softie than hard pack ice cream.
The next thing I noticed was that there were a lot of kids here. With their parents. Much of the farm is actually well tended openspace with trails for hiking and strategically placed eateries for when you get hungry after hiking.
Here’s the map of the farm. In some ways, it reminds me of an amusement park
This is a strategically placed wasabi soba restaurant
There’s a place on the trail with great views, two temples and a place to soak your feet in the water that’s feeding the wasabi. It’s hella cold BTW. According to the brochure, it’s 12 degrees cold and that for good wasabi, the water needs to be hella cold while above, the plants need to be hella hot.
The wasabi is covered from direct sun while it’s irrigated by cold mountain water runoff.
It looks like a river of wasabi.
Soaking your tired tootsies in cold mountain water
Musings of a Food and Travel Addict