Daio Wasabi Farm — Attraction in Azumino

Daio Wasabi Farm is one of Japan's largest wasabi farm and is rather popular in this area. It is about 20 minutes from Matsumoto City if you take the JR line from Matsumoto to Hotaka Station and then a cab (1200Y one-way) to the farm. Entry to the farm is free. When leaving the farm, do get the information counter staff at the farm to help you call for a taxi, it will still be the same price.

Wasabi requires shaded areas to grow and this farm gets its water source from the Northern Alps - cool clear ever-flowing stream water. It is a really beautiful place to visit as it has a very peaceful and rested atmosphere, where you can just sit back and admire the scenery of rows and rows of wasabi plants interspersed with cool water flowing through.

There is also a cafe selling wasabi related snacks, like wasabi ice-cream and chocolate. Personally I felt the ice-cream was just ok and could not really taste the wasabi flavour. There is also a shop selling wasabi related products, like wasabi biscuits, soap, paste for food, etc. Some of the products are quite interesting and actually very good too if you are a fan of wasabi.

The only downside was that there wasn't any explanation on how they cultivate the wasabi plant or how they extract it to get the paste which would have been really informative and made the trip more meaningful. When I was there, there seemed to be a tour of the farm, but it was in Japanese which I couldn't understand so perhaps the guide could have been explaining.

Overall it is a nice place to visit and relax in the countryside after the bustling city. It is also good for buying authentic wasabi related products and other various crafts. However if you are not a fan of wasabi and do not have much time in this area, you could consider...

This is a major tourist attraction for Japanese - I only saw two other Westerners - stroll beside the gentle running water - relax in the wasabi museum - see the 3 water wheels and artists easels beside them

oh, we also paddled a raft up the fast flowing stream - this was fun - I saw a large 15" fish in the weeds right under my paddle ! - but it's hard work - tip: one hand over the end knob, the other as low down/close to the paddle as you can, for maximum leverage with minimum effort (hook your feet inside the raft so you can lean out low over the side of the raft) - otherwise trying to paddle with your hands higher up is exhausting but gives little or none of the propulsion you Need to get back against the fast flow !

we would have eaten lunch at a restaurant but the queue was too long even on a non-busy Sunday so we just bought wasabi seaweed with a kick

and got a wasabi ice cream- these are rare in Japan- I’ve only had it in the central mountains of the Izu Peninsula- another wasabi growing area where it grows beside the road- but today’s was disappointing- if you didn’t tell me it was wasabi flavour I wouldn’t have known- so for a real taste of wasabi ice cream I’ll recommend a trip to the central...

Very pretty farm, quite a few Japanese and tourists. I went the first weekend of November, just as they switched over to winter hours, so they close at 4:30 about 2 hours earlier than in summer, which is just as well since it's dark by 5:00. There's more to the place than just the farm and gift shop, they also have a restaurant, shrine, and museum. Unfortunately since I went late in the day I wasn't able to explore these places as much. Also I wasn't able to get raw wasabi, so go earlier if you want to buy some! They had minced wasabi paste for sale among other wasabi flavored goods. I was able to buy the wasabi ice cream! It's not spicy so much as it is herbal, kind of like mint, and it is sweet. Honestly you can tell they used real plants to make it because it tastes so much like "plant". The fields near the entrance were nearly bare but the ones towards the back were lush and green. The shades we're also drawn back so, I've heard that makes for a good photo. You can't walk next to the wasabi, you...