We are enjoy various species of mushrooms at this time of a year.  Among them the matsutake mushrooms are very special

to Japan.  The Japanese people like their unique aroma representing autumn.  It is popular to cook them in a way the aroma lasts

even after they are cooked such as flavored rice, steam pot dishes and so on. It’s delicacy like caviar and truffles in the West.

Matsutake in Japan grow on roots of red pines and are harvested between September and October when the cap is not yet

completely open, as the aroma fades away if it is open.

Unlike other mushrooms, growing matsutake artificially is very difficult, so the harvests are unstable causing the price of

matsutake picked in Japan to fluctuate widely every year.  As domestic production of matsutake in Japan has sharply declined

over the last 50 years, nowadays matsutake mushrooms imported from foreign countries like China and Korea account for about

98% of the Japanese mushroom market.  The scarcity has made domestic matsutake price skyrocket.  Nevertheless it would seem

that the Japan’s great love for matsutake will never fade out, as the Japanese have enjoyed eating them since ancient times.