Live in Tokyo and couldn't agree more. I've been to Mt. Mitake a few times, where wasabi makes up a nice portion of the economy. Towards the top of the mountai

Live in Tokyo and couldn't agree more. I've been to Mt. Mitake a few times, where wasabi makes up a nice portion of the economy. Towards the top of the mountain, you can literally smell the wasabi in the air. It's kind of the locals' gimmick as well to put wasabi in everything -- pretty sure I saw wasabi ice-cream. The fresh "real" stuff is quite earthy, and frankly, I find unpleasant in any significant quantity. I bought quite a bit last time I was there and tried to learn to appreciate it. Ending up going bad in the fridge. Give me good old horseradish any day.