Japanese Shiitake Mushroom Farm and Store House Niigata
Japanese Shiitake Mushroom Farm and Store House Niigata
Overview
In this immersive farm tour, John Daub takes viewers inside a specialized shiitake mushroom production facility in Niigata Prefecture. Known for its heavy snowfall and high humidity, Niigata provides the perfect environmental conditions for cultivating some of Japan's best mushrooms. John explores the sterile preparation areas, the humid growing houses, and the cold storage rooms where different varieties like kikurage (wood ear mushrooms) are kept.
The video offers a rare look at the agricultural process, from the composition of the growing blocks (wood chips, rice husks, flour) to the 140-day incubation period required before mushrooms can sprout. John rides along on the farm's transport cart, examining mushrooms at various stages of growth—from tiny spores to massive, harvest-ready specimens. He explains the lifecycle of the blocks, which produce mushrooms for seven months, and shares tips on how to cook and enjoy fresh shiitake.
This episode highlights the intersection of nature and technology in Japanese agriculture. The farm utilizes controlled humidity and temperature systems (FCU) while leveraging Niigata's natural snow and climate. John's enthusiasm is palpable as he discovers giant mushrooms, jokes about Smurfs, and expresses his desire to cook the fresh produce immediately. It is an educational and visually fascinating look at a staple ingredient in Japanese cuisine.
Highlights
- 00:00:00 John sanitizes hands before entering the sterile mushroom house and explains the growing medium ingredients.
- 00:55:00 First look inside the warehouse filled with rows of growing mushrooms.
- 01:52:00 Explanation of the FCU (Fan Control Unit) and the 140-day incubation process.
- 02:41:00 Visit to the cold room featuring kikurage (wood ear mushrooms) and mist systems.
- 05:46:00 John hops on the farm cart for a tour down the growing lanes.
- 06:46:00 Discovery that mushrooms grow from tiny spores to harvest size in just one week.
- 09:13:00 John jokes about Smurfs living among the mushroom layers.
- 10:38:00 Discussion on how Niigata's snow and humidity create perfect growing conditions.
- 22:17:00 Finding the "King" mushroom—a massive shiitake specimen.
- 24:21:00 John shares his favorite way to cook shiitake: soy sauce and butter on the barbecue.
Timeline / Chapters
- 00:00:00 Introduction & Sanitization
- 00:55:00 Entering the Mushroom Warehouse
- 01:52:00 Growing Process & FCU Explanation
- 02:41:00 Cold Room & Kikurage Mushrooms
- 03:43:00 Seven Month Lifecycle Explanation
- 05:46:00 Riding the Farm Cart
- 06:46:00 One Week Growth Cycle
- 09:13:00 Exploring the Layers & Smurf Jokes
- 10:38:00 Niigata Climate & Snow Power
- 13:10:00 Camera Setup & Getting Lost
- 17:26:00 Photography Settings & Close-ups
- 21:02:00 Block Composition & Rice Husks
- 22:17:00 The King Mushroom Discovery
- 24:21:00 Cooking Tips & Conclusion
Japan Travel Tips
- Niigata Produce: Niigata is renowned for high-quality shiitake mushrooms due to its climate. Look for Niigata-origin mushrooms in markets.
- Selection: When buying shiitake, look for thick stalks and firm caps. John notes that some varieties have thicker stalks than others.
- Cooking: For a simple, delicious meal, grill fresh shiitake with a little soy sauce and butter.
- Farm Visits: Agricultural tours are possible in some regions; sanitize hands and follow staff instructions when entering growing facilities.
- Seasonality: Winter (snow season) is highlighted as a key time for humidity control in these farms, though mushrooms are grown year-round indoors.
Japanese Language & Culture Notes
- Tsuchi (土): Earth/Soil. John notes the components of the growing block.
- Ki (木): Wood. Wood chips are a primary ingredient in the mushroom blocks.
- Komugi (小麦): Wheat/Flour. Used as a nutrient in the growing medium.
- Kikurage (キクラゲ): Wood ear mushroom. A different variety seen in the cold room, often used in ramen.
- Yukimura (雪室): Likely a reference to yukimuro (snow room), traditional storage rooms kept cold by snow. John refers to it as where snow creates power/humidity.
- Agricultural Efficiency: The use of rice husks (normally waste) mixed with wood chips demonstrates sustainable farming practices common in Japan.
Food & Drink Guide
- Shiitake (しいたけ):
- Description: The primary mushroom featured. Grown on blocks for 7 months, with individual mushrooms sprouting and harvesting within 7 days.
- Where to find: Niigata farms, supermarkets across Japan.
- John's Reaction: Fascinated by the size and variety. Wants to grill them with butter.
- Timestamp: 24:21:00
- Kikurage (キクラゲ):
- Description: Wood ear mushrooms. Black, ear-shaped fungi.
- Where to find: Cold storage room in the farm. Often used in ramen.
- John's Reaction: Notes they look like ears and are good in ramen.
- Timestamp: 02:41:00
People
- John Daub: Host and narrator. He guides the tour, asks questions about the growing process, and shares his enthusiasm for food and agriculture.
- Farm Staff (Unnamed): Guides John through the facility, explains the growth cycles (140 days incubation, 7 days harvest), and operates the cart.
Key Takeaways
- Growth Cycle: Mushroom blocks take 140 days to prepare/incubate before they can grow mushrooms. Once active, a block produces mushrooms for 7 months.
- Harvest Speed: Individual mushrooms grow from spore to harvest size in just 7 days.
- Environment: Niigata's snow and humidity are leveraged to create ideal growing conditions (warm/humid growing rooms, cold storage).
- Sustainability: Rice husks, typically waste, are recycled into the growing medium.
- Variety: Shiitake come in various shapes and sizes; some have thick stalks, others thin, depending on the variety and growth stage.
Notable Quotes
- 00:00:00 "Let's have a look inside this beautiful mushroom house. But first we must sanitize our hands."
- 01:52:00 "Inside these bags, 140 days later you have shrooms. Mushrooms."
- 06:46:00 "From the time it sprouts out till the time it is harvested, it takes seven days. One week. That is incredible."
- 09:13:00 "Probably where the Smurfs live."
- 10:38:00 "This is the perfect condition here in Niigata for growing shiitake mushrooms."
- 22:17:00 "That's Papa Smurfs! Whoa! Definitely happy to see me."
- 24:21:00 "You just put a little soy sauce on it, and then you put it on the barbecue. And it makes a really good meal."
Related Topics
- Organic farming in Japan
- Yamagata mushroom hunting (mentioned by John)
- Niigata food culture
- Japanese agriculture technology
- Foraging in Japan
Search Tags
#only-in-japan-go #tokyo #travel #niigata #shiitake #mushroom #farm #agriculture #food #japanese-food #kikurage #winter #snow #farming
Full Transcript
00:00:00 John Daub: Let's have a look inside this beautiful mushroom house. But first we must sanitize our hands. Purell. Wow! These are mushrooms. Earth. Tsuchi. Ki. Wood. Wood chips. Wow, wood chips, rice husks, and flour. Komugi. Rice husks.
00:00:55 John Daub: Wow, that's a lot of mushrooms. Follow her. That's a lot of mushrooms! Amazing! How many days? 140 days it takes to grow the mushrooms. Wow! This is like the warehouse of mushrooms in here. This is so awesome. It smells like mushrooms.
00:01:52 John Daub: Ah, the FCU. Fan Control Unit. FCU. Jenkida! You got it, brother. I know what you're thinking. Raymond Santana's in the house. Some peaches. Wow! This is so awesome! Look at these bags. Inside these bags, 140 days later you have shrooms. Mushrooms. And it's kind of warm in here, but the humidity is very high. I'm already starting to feel humidity.
00:02:41 John Daub: I guess there's a place where the yukimura where the snow creates more power. Let's go take a look. Oh yeah, that's where the humidity is coming from, from the mist. Whoa! Oh, kikurage (wood ear mushrooms). It's kikurage. Oh yeah, the fan blows it around. These are wood ear mushrooms. They look like ears. Ah, it's cold in here. It was nice and warm inside of there, nice warm and humid, and now it just got really cold after we left the mushroom house. Kikurage is a wood ear mushroom that you see them sometimes in ramen. It's really good.
00:03:43 John Daub: Uh, this looks like beyond these doors are these perhaps the yukimura. Hollow. It could be a sauna. Whoa, this is so awesome. Oh. How long from before to now? Yep. I found a mushroom. Awesome. It's like standing on top of it. So these take seven months to grow here. They spore them and then they grow. So every day they pick the ones that come. But I think what they say for seven months, these blocks have a life of seven months of growing mushrooms. So that is a lot of shiitake. These are baby shiitake in here. I don't think you can eat them as is.
00:05:46 John Daub: Whoa, fly catcher. That's good, it's keeping them nice and fresh. Can you eat them like this and just pluck them and eat them? That one's ripe for my palate. She said that you can. Oh, go ahead and walk through here. Okay, wait. Can I get on? Hey, that'd be a great dolly shot. I want to ride the car. Okay, here we go. So they've already picked the ones today, but you can see here they really have some very large ones. These are getting bigger here.
00:06:46 John Daub: It's going to get bigger, right? Tomorrow? We're only going to get the big ones. From the smallest to the biggest, how long does it take? One week. So these little teeny ones like this? Yeah. One week. Next week this will be really massive. So you're going to get something that can be picked. This one maybe tomorrow. Tomorrow it's going to be so much bigger and they can pick it. They'll sell these at the store. This looks like a nice colony here. One week. So these blocks have a life of seven months. These blocks can grow mushrooms for up to seven months. When a little teeny spore comes out of it and the spore creates a baby mushroom, from the time it sprouts out till the time it is harvested, it takes seven days. One week. That is incredible.
00:08:06 John Daub: So they are constantly, every day, coming through here and picking the mushrooms that are ready to be picked. And I think if you're working this job all the time, you get quite used to knowing which ones can be picked and which ones can't. You come back and go, oh, tomorrow this one's going to be ready to be picked. That's a good looking one. Interesting. We have some very small ones here. This is maybe four days away. Probably where the Smurfs live.
00:09:13 John Daub: Nice. Let's keep going. I have to kick this in order to move up. Smurfberry crunch is fun to eat. A Smurfy fruity breakfast treat. Hi, I'm Smurf Ed. Welcome to our village. This house is home to two Smurfs. And this double house is very Smurfy. I'm afraid to touch them because it's not my mushrooms. These belong to the farm. Whoa, look at this one. It's got kind of a double. It had a friend and they grew together. Some of them don't have it. These are the ones that were harvested more recently. You can see. But in another week or two, they're going to grow again. And they're consistently... And not just the tops, but there's one on the bottom. One, two, three, four, five, six layers inside of here. We're at the end of it. I can get out now.
00:10:38 John Daub: It's fascinating to see to be here among the shiitake mushrooms. But this, the power that comes from here comes from the snow. It's very interesting. The steam. Also the humidity. So this is the perfect condition here in Niigata for growing shiitake mushrooms. And not just the top. I'm also going to have some good mushrooms. But Niigata is very, very famous for them. Some of my favorite shiitake come from Niigata.
00:11:31 John Daub: The air just came on here. So now we have... If you're interested in mushrooms, let's give me a thumbs up and encourage me. I want to do some more mushroom farms. I think that would be really cool to do. You have to think about it, dude. Sorry, I'm trying to get my A7S III out to get some 4K shots for later on. Hold on a second. I gotta get my camera out. Wait for me.
00:13:10 John Daub: Very cool. Let's go down another lane. It's awesome. Here, wait here on the ground. Just stay here, okay? You want to look up? Here, look up a little bit. I wanted to show you some. Okay, here. You can look at some mushrooms here. Just stay there for one minute, okay? Don't go anywhere. Alright, let's go. Hey, where did everybody go? Where is everybody? I don't want to get locked in here. I'm still here. Oh, it's a good one. I should take pictures of that one. I don't want to get left behind. Imagine if I got stuck in a mushroom house. Get some shots here. Only in Japan. Wait, the ISO is too high. Alright, keep going.
00:15:53 John Daub: How do I get out of here? Oh, they left me. There's a big one over there. A big one. A big one? Wow! Awesome! It's still small. It's still small? Wow! Sorry. There's a big one. Okay, thank you. These are all filled with shiitake. Thank you. Some spores. Where did everybody go? We're going to this place. These are kind of different ones. A little bit bigger variety. This one smells more spory. These are like plumper. That's awesome. Seriously, I'm starting to get so fascinated with this place.
00:17:26 John Daub: Sometimes, you know, depth of field is not that great. Sometimes you need F-stop 5.6 instead. They're not brownies. They're mushrooms. So ISO is at F5.6 ISO is 5000. It's the A7S3. Wow, check this one out. Just kind of growing out of the side there. This is awesome. This is like oh, look at that! This is perfect! That's so perfect! For the A7S3, 5000 is not that high. This thing goes to 500,000. Alright? Everybody knows that. The focus is awful. Just stay right there for a second. It's good.
00:20:01 John Daub: Let's take a look here. We got some more mushrooms. Check that out! I just want to take it. Eat it. It's raw. You probably want to cook it. This one's going to take another 5 days before it gets bigger. It's awesome! I should make this like the postcard club postcard. Send a postcard with a mushroom on it. Like this one. Very cool. Nosh Abroad says do it. Whoa! They're like colonizing. Growing!
00:21:02 John Daub: There's nothing over here. These are pretty empty. They're not brownies. These are actually wood. And Niigata mixes in the rice husks with it, which they would normally throw away. But instead of throwing it away, they mix it in with wood chips. And then they spend 140 days inside these bags with moisture to try to get them ready to create mushrooms. After 140 days, these brown lots, which look like brownies, are perfect for growing shiitake. So then they spore them up and the shiitake grow. They really grow. Take my picture. This is something other people do regularly. Not gonna lie, I always thought that. Wow, there's a big spider! A spider web. Whoa, look at that! Look at these massive! They're huge! That's awesome!
00:22:17 John Daub: What do you guys think of the mushrooms? Think these are cool? Hold on, let me get some shots here. That's so cool. I'm trying to find a good one with a lot of them, Nosh. Because I can't. You don't want one with just one on it. You need like a colony of mushrooms in this. Alright? Oh wow! This is the king! That's Papa Smurfs! Whoa! Definitely happy to see me. Look at this! Wow! That's massive! This is my hand, and this is the mushroom. And I have very large hands. I'm so excited! I just want to put this on the table. I want to put this on the grill and start eating it with butter.
00:24:21 John Daub: Alright, let's get out of here. That was awesome! Different kinds of mushrooms. The different shapes. So shiitake has, sometimes you'll see thinner versions of them. Sometimes the stalks are bigger. Sometimes they're really thick. Sometimes they're not. Sometimes the tops have different shapes to them. But shiitake are really great. You just put a little soy sauce on it, and then you put it on the barbecue. And it makes a really good meal. After five or six of them, it's quite filling.
00:25:15 John Daub: So there you go. I hope this is really interesting. Hey, Jiman3Full. How you doing? Lots of different varieties of mushrooms. Yeah. It's fascinating. Do you have any questions about mushrooms? I hope this was really informational for you to come inside of the mushroom house. But if you like this, I have a mushroom video on the new channel where I go to Yamagata and introduce to you mushrooms that are grown organically. And mushrooms in the wild in Japan with a mushroom hunter. It was a really fascinating episode. So that might be something you want to check out. But yeah, I'm going to do more mushroom streams. There's something exciting about being inside of a mushroom farm or a mushroom house. I feel like it's the place to be.
00:26:15 John Daub: I'll be back. Alright guys, thanks so much for watching. I'll see you in another live stream. Until then, enjoy the last five seconds, ten seconds, looking at this mushroom. Just look at it. Click the like button if you like mushrooms. Thanks everybody.