News On Japan

Eight Tamba Matsutake Mushrooms Sell for 850,000 Yen at First Auction

HYOGO, Oct 09, 2025 (News On Japan) - At the season’s first auction held in Sasayama City, Hyogo Prefecture, locally grown Tamba Matsutake mushrooms fetched a total of 850,000 yen. Freshly harvested mushrooms lined the market floor, drawing excitement among buyers.

This year’s favorable growing conditions, with steady summer rainfall and ample forest moisture, have led to a particularly abundant harvest, bringing the season’s start six days earlier than last year. Since the opening of the Sasayama market in 2018, the volume of Matsutake mushrooms brought in by each farmer has reached its highest level on record.

Eight premium Tamba Matsutake were put up for the first auction and, amid the festive atmosphere of the opening sale, fetched a celebratory price of 850,000 yen.

Chef Noritsugu Yoshimura of the long-established ryokan restaurant Chikamoto, who won the bid, said, "I came with the goal of definitely winning. The texture is firm, the moisture is just right, and the aroma is wonderful—this year’s mushrooms are truly exceptional."

The ryokan plans to immediately serve the prized Matsutake to its regular guests in dishes such as grilled Matsutake and Dobin-mushi (steamed soup in a teapot).

Source: KTV NEWS

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

Japan will face Tunisia in its second match of the FIFA World Cup 2026 on June 21 in Monterrey, a northern Mexican city known for its mountains, modern skyline and unexpectedly strong connections with Japan.

Typhoon No. 7, named Mekkhala, formed east of the Philippines at 3 a.m. on June 20 and is forecast to move westward for the time being before approaching the Philippines early next week with a storm zone, while some simulations show it later turning northward toward the Okinawa area.

Eleven pupils and teachers were injured after a fire broke out at Takinogawa Daisan Elementary School in Tokyo's Kita Ward at around 11 a.m. on June 19, forcing more than 300 children to evacuate and briefly trapping several pupils on a narrow ledge outside a fourth-floor classroom.

Bear attacks and sightings are increasing across Japan, with multiple people injured on June 17 and experts warning that bears are becoming more accustomed to human environments, potentially leading to more dangerous and unpredictable encounters in the years ahead.

JR Central and JR West on June 17 announced pricing and service details for the new private-room seating that will be introduced on the Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen from October, creating a new top-tier class above the existing Green Car service.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Food NEWS

Harvesting began on June 18 for Densuke watermelons, a specialty of Toma in Hokkaido known for their glossy black rind, crisp texture and rich sweetness, with the season’s first auctions scheduled for June 19 at markets in Sapporo and Asahikawa.

The harvest of fruit-like sweet corn has reached its peak in Hekinan, Aichi Prefecture, where farmers begin picking before dawn to preserve the crop's high sugar content and freshness.

Japan byFood featuring Shizuka spends 24 hours exploring Yokohama, Japan’s second-largest city located just 30 minutes south of Tokyo.

The first auction of Raiden Watermelon, a specialty product of Kyowa in Hokkaido's Shiribeshi region, was held in Sapporo on June 9th, with a pair of melons fetching a record-high 400,000 yen.

Seven-Eleven Okinawa and local dairy farmers have begun working together to find new uses for milk produced during the summer vacation period, when school lunch programs are suspended and demand for fresh milk declines.

The harvest of Nanko plums, a specialty product of Minabe Town in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan's largest ume-producing region, has reached its peak, with farmers busy gathering the highly prized fruit despite another disappointing crop year.

Major meat processor Itoham announced on June 5th that it will launch a new lower-priced product line next month as companies continue to grapple with rising costs driven by inflation and instability in the Middle East.

Did you know that some Domino’s Pizza locations in Japan offer an all-you-can-eat deal? It is a super rare experience available at only a very limited number of stores.