Mushrooms have difficulty growing in dry conditions. The harvest season ... The effects of abnormal weather also extended to matsutake mushrooms, the coveted delicacy for which Nagano Prefecture ...

An curved arrow pointing right. Matsutake mushrooms harvested in Japan can cost over $500 per kilogram. Mushroom foragers like Gihei Fujiwara search for matsutake once a year around early fall.

Tanagura’s matsutake had a reputation for their exquisite taste and aroma. Tourists used to flock to the region each autumn to pick them, and the delicacy was an important source of income.

Matsutake mushrooms, which like truffles are highly prized for their delicate taste and scarcity, were designated as a threatened species for the first time by the International Union for ...