Where to Visit
Wasabi was first cultivated in the Azumino area in 1917 at the Daio Wasabi Farm. Over the years, the farm has developed a unique, fan-shaped arrangement of planting in gravel beds that maintains a steady water flow throughout the fields, some of which are over a kilometer in length. The farm is open to visitors, who flock here to wander around the shaded paths, enjoying the cool air from the more than 120,000 tons of spring water that flows through the farm every day. Adjacent to the farm is the site famed film director Akira Kurosawa chose as a location for his 1990 film Dreams, and three watermills that were constructed for the film still sit in a picturesque spot on the water. Visitors can cruise down the nearby river on rafts or glass-bottom boats.