Okutama, in the mountains of western Tokyo, has been growing wasabi for centuries. But in 2019, Typhoon Hagibis destroyed many of the wasabi fields here, and the number of wasabi farmers continues to decline year by year.
We want to protect Okutama wasabi and pass it on to the next generation — and share it with the world.
That is why we do what we do, aiming to keep Okutama an attractive destination 100 years from now.
From restoring and cultivating wasabi fields to our food truck, hands-on wasabi experiences, and tours for visitors from around the world — every time you taste or experience wasabi, you help keep Okutama wasabi alive.
Start by tasting Japan’s original spice: wasabi.
– Meet the Team –
●Hitoshi
Hitoshi, the elder of the Wasabi Brothers, first came to Okutama as a canyoning guide — and that is how he met wasabi.
Spending summers in Okutama and winters guiding in New Zealand, he rediscovered the beauty of Japan and the value of its original spice, wasabi.
Known around the world as WASABI, it is essential to Japanese food culture — sushi, tempura, and more.
With the motto “Okutama wasabi to the world,” Hitoshi works with his brother Tacchan to restore typhoon-damaged wasabi fields, grow wasabi, and lead wasabi experience tours.
Loves eating and drinking (sometimes the drinks win).
Favorite food: sushi (with wasabi, of course).
Hobby: canyoning (well, it’s also his job).
The Wasabi Brothers are originally from Yokosuka, Kanagawa.
●Tacchan
Tacchan, the younger brother, is famous for his tank top — which he wears even through Okutama’s freezing winters (how much longer can he last?!).
After traveling all over Japan and discovering the joy of harvesting through farm work, he moved to Okutama around 2020 to become a wasabi farmer.
Today, only a handful of farmers in Okutama grow wasabi full-time — and Tacchan is one of them.
Together with Hitoshi, he restores wasabi fields devastated by the 2019 typhoon, stacking stones one by one by hand.
Okutama is hit hard by typhoons, with major damage every few years.
They keep concrete to a minimum and take the time to build stone walls by hand — to preserve the beautiful landscape, and so the fields can return to their natural form if they break.
This is sustainable wasabi field building.
See our wasabi experience tour here → WASABI EXPERIENCE
●Momo
Momo works alongside the Wasabi Brothers.
She handles the website and social media, cooks at our food truck Wasabi Shokudo, and develops new products.
In August 2022, she launched our coffee line, WASABI COFFEE.
Born in Morioka, Iwate. After the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, she set off for the life abroad she had always dreamed of.
After about a year in Canada and five and a half years in New Zealand working in hospitality — hotels, restaurants, and cafés — she became a tour guide. For about four years, she guided tours to Milford Sound, a World Heritage fjord, visiting it more than 500 times.
She returned to Japan during the pandemic and, in 2020, moved to Okutama — home of Hitoshi, whom she had met in New Zealand.
Today, she brings all of that experience to our tours for international visitors.
Join a tour guided in English by Momo → Wasabi Experience Tour
Loves sake, coffee, and New Zealand.
Certified SCAJ Specialty Coffee Meister and JBA Barista License Level 2.
Usually quiet in the background — but she loves a good chat.