Before introducing the farm, it is necessary to do a simple science popularization, that is, what is mustard?
Mustard is an essential product when eating Japanese food, and mustard is also used in some places to mix cold vegetables, but there is an essential difference between wasabi eaten in the general sense of the country and eaten in Japan. The product we eat the most in Japan, called wasabi, is essentially the second plant in the picture, horseradish, but the most authentic way to eat it in Japan is the first food in the picture, the wasabi.
Around the seemingly inconspicuous wasabi, Japan has carefully built a special century-old farm. Daio Wasabi Farm (大王わさび Farm), located in Azumino City, central Nagano Prefecture, is the largest wasabi garden in Japan, founded in 1917 and the size of 11 football fields.
It is such a wasabi garden, which currently employs 60 people, has created an annual sales of 800 million yen, attracts 1.2 million tourists every year, and receives an average of 3,300 visitors per day. What did wasabi Farm do right?
Intensive cultivation of single products, only the wasabi is grown
The prosperity of Theo Wasabi Farm experienced the initial arduous exploration, and it took the founder two years to open up this farm in the wasteland that was only rubble at that time, taking full advantage of the geographical conditions of the back mountain area that can be called the Japanese Alps, accurately selecting the water-loving agricultural product - wasabi (commonly known as green wasabi), and developing step by step.
Dawang Wasabi Farm can harvest 150 metric tons of green mustard per year, and there is no shortage of fine management and quality control behind the high yield. The growth of green wasabi is more delicate, and the wasabi farm provides them with a very good growing environment, and all the mustard seedlings grow in the shade of trees or are covered with black gauze to prevent exposure to the sun.
At the same time, in the mustard field, living water was opened. The meltwater from the snow-capped mountains of central Japan is directly irrigated here, while the water temperature is strictly controlled. After such careful care, the wasabi in the wasabi garden can be called "the best in Japan".
Wasabi Farms retain the supply function of agricultural products, creating an authentic atmosphere of rural life. In order to shorten the distance between farmers and consumers, consumers are provided with two ways, one is to buy products from the store and cook them themselves, and the other is to process the produce in the restaurants on the farm. This model guarantees the quality of the produce and maintains the reputation of the farm.
Therefore, accurately grasping local resources, advantages, characteristics, and styles, and choosing a suitable development model is the first priority of farm and manor planning and development. Adapting to local conditions is an important law of industrial layout and rural planning in rural revitalization. At the same time, not greedy, not greedy, focusing on a good direction, prominent theme, clear positioning is also the golden rule of operation.
Focus on food, create "internet celebrity"
The official guide to Nagano Prefecture in Japan describes the wasabi farm as follows: "Although the Oho Wasabi Farm has long been loved by Japanese tourists and the scenery is pleasant, the farm is also worth noting the array of large gourmet restaurants and shops. Visitors can try traditional staples such as wasabi soba noodles (a local specialty) and mustard tempura (fried prawns and vegetables), to slightly less conventional favorite wasabi ice cream and mustard beer, surprisingly delicious, although they are a little strange depth taste! Give it a try! If I don't drive myself, I'll definitely have a beer of Aoi! Yikes! ”
It can be seen that the farm's self-produced and self-sold series of mustard delicacies are the key code for the endless stream of farm tourists. Mr. Tie Ding, director of the Agricultural Research Center of Yuanyi Think Tank and editor-in-chief of agricultural ginseng, pointed out that realizing the transformation of agricultural products from intermediate products to terminal products is an effective way to improve the added value of agricultural products, and food is a more intuitive choice for consumers.
Japanese grinding mustard has a special point, that is, it must be ground with shark skin, so that the grinded mustard tastes better. A good mustard as a seasoning, it is made after grinding the roots of the mustard plant, it is light green, sticky, and gives off a fresh smell and a spicy taste.
At Daio Farm, in addition to being an accompaniment ingredient for sushi or sashimi, mustard is also creatively created with mustard chocolate, ice cream, beer, steamed buns, mustard beans, wasabi soba noodles, etc., with a light fragrance and spicy taste, which is particularly delicious. In particular, wasabi ice cream and signature soba noodles have almost become the "net red food" that tourists want, and they must be eaten quickly, which has increased the popularity of the farm and generated considerable economic benefits.
With static braking, a different experience
The farm's basic facilities include: wasabi Farm, Water Wheel Water Square, Grand Shrine, Observation Deck, Bell Tower, Lucky Bridge, Tea Room, Restaurant, Blue Sky Plaza, Buckwheat Processing Yard, etc.
The unique ecological environment is the core advantage of Dawang Farm: the melting snow on the mountain merges into a clear stream at the foot of the mountain, which is convenient for water diversion and irrigation, and also shapes the beautiful and quiet scenery of the farm by the mountains and waters. The farm's vast isabi fields exude infinite life, and the lush woods and the flowing water and grass are contrasted, and there are occasionally a few unnamed fish swimming through the stream, which adds a bit of spirituality.
Despite the large number of daily visitors, the farm is always kept neat and clean. During the growing season, the lush greenery of the wasabi fields and the ridges of the Daodao fields outline a trickle, which is definitely a productive landscape that nourishes the heart and the eyes.
More detailed is that the Dawang Farm has achieved dynamic and static separation in the division of functional areas: observation decks, stone carvings, shrines, watermill huts, wooden bridges with pavilions, etc. are randomly scattered in the natural scenery, adjusting the sightseeing journey of tourists; Functional buildings such as wasabi workshops and restaurants and shops are concentrated on both sides of the main road of the farm to avoid bringing unpleasant noise to tourists.
epilogue
The construction of ornamental farms, one is to retain agricultural characteristics, blindly tall but divorced from the essential needs of tourists to visit; The second is to have specific products to enhance the relationship between the farm and consumers, and it is the highest pursuit of each farm's operating products to see that they can still eat or even take away; In addition, adapting to local conditions is always the golden rule, take-ism, follow the trend will not last long, intention, concentration, innovation is indispensable in every farm operation.
Resources:
[1] Sunshine Vegetable Factory: A Japanese wasabi-themed farm that chronicles 100 years of agricultural history
[2] Juxing: Daio Wasabi Farm - Japan's most beautiful pastoral complex