Japan 魚素選擇 農場之旅(8)

The tour to David's wasabi patch in the forest was a very welcome change from the scorching heat down in the city. David was the most welcoming and educating tour guide, and we learned a lot about plants and history on our way up. Tasting different sorts of wasabi, especially the difference in pungency when freshly grated versus after a couple of minutes of oxidation was a unique experience (the roast beef complemented the wasabi perfectly). After this, you will see those little "wasabi" packets with different labels, even though they are unavoidable outside of Japan. This is a 5/5 and I am sure we will visit again the next time we we are in this area. Thank you, David!

I participated in Akito’s Tea Farm Tour on June 30th and I highly recommend it. Due to some complication, we had to shuffle around the schedule but he was very accomodating and we were able to meet up in the end. Right off the bat, the groups are not large so it has a intimate feeling. You get driven around in Akito's car up to the tea farm, where you'll be able to take pictures from up the mountain and of the farm itself. We were also taught and allowed to pick a leaf from the bush. We also got to see the inside of a tea factory. Finally, we got to taste green tea in a multitude of ways that I didn't know existed as Akito gave out explanation with presentation slides. Now for the review itself, Akito is a fantastic host. He's very knowledgeable about green tea, tea farms and any questions you have about the area. He was also easy to talk with and speaks English well enough for his explanations. I'm not a big tea drinker, but Shizuoka is known for its tea production and I enjoyed the experience very much. I got to learn a lot, including some tips on how to better enjoy green tea. At the end, you can also buy the tea you tasted, along with some more regional specialties from the farms directly. I'm not that well versed, but I did appreciate that they sold just the brown rice itself to make genmaicha (generally sold together with the leaves). In any case, definitely book with Akito if this is the kind of thing you are interested in.

We had such an incredible experience on our small group tea tour with Akito. He led us and was absolutely wonderful – knowledgeable, warm, and engaging. He shared so much fascinating information about Japanese tea culture, history, and the production process in a way that was easy to understand and deeply meaningful. You can tell how passionate he is about tea, and it made the experience so much more special. The tour itself was perfectly paced, and we felt welcomed from start to finish. We left with an even greater appreciation for Japanese tea. Highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting – it’s an unforgettable and authentic experience. Thank you, Akito for such a beautiful day!

This tour was amazing. Akito is so nice and extremely knowledgeable about all aspects of the tea farm and processes. He took his time with us and answered every question we had. He was so kind and I enjoyed my time with him tremendously. Highly recommend. A+++++

I really enjoyed meeting David and learning about Wasabi. It wasn't a highly structured tour, but if you ask questions and make conversation it makes the tour worth. Good wasabi too!