Narrator: Every year, Gihei Fujiwara goes into the mountains
hunting for this: a matsutake mushroom.
If the harvest is low,
wholesale matsutake can cost over $500 per kilogram.
And over the past 70 years,
Japan's harvest has declined by over 95%.
Now the mushroom's future is unclear.
So, what makes these mushrooms so expensive?
And why have they almost disappeared?
Matsutake can't exist without trees.
They grow connected to the roots of red pine trees
in a symbiotic relationship.
Matsutake grow in several countries,
including China and South Korea.
But Japan's fetch the highest price.
In 2021, the season's first matsutake
were auctioned off for over $7,000.
They're harvested once a year,
from around September to November.
But because the domestic harvest in Japan has plummeted,
the price is volatile.
Unlike other prized foods,
it's not a problem of overharvesting.
It's a problem of changing habitat.
Matsutake can't be grown on farms;
they have to be foraged by hand.
But foraging is no easy task.
Gihei Fujiwara has been foraging matsutake
for over 60 years.
There's a lot of anticipation
leading up to each harvest season.
Narrator: Gihei forages from dawn till dusk,
returning home around midday to empty out his baskets.
Even for someone with his experience,
it can be hard to predict the quality of a harvest.
Narrator: Even with a good harvest,
these mushrooms are difficult to find.
They blend in with the forest floor
and often don't grow at the base of a tree.
Knowing where to look is a result of decades
of foraging on this mountain.
Narrator: It's exhausting work,
but today, Gihei is rewarded,
filling several baskets each trip.
But his work isn't over when the harvest ends.
In the off season, Gihei goes back to the mountain
and tries to cultivate matsutake.
Narrator: Gihei also tries to spread the spores
of matsutake to help them grow.
But cultivating matsutake this way takes around five years,
and success isn't guaranteed.
Even though this year was a big harvest,
the long-term trend is in decline.
In 1953, Japan harvested around
6,400 metric tons of matsutake.
But in 2019, it harvested only 14 metric tons.
One of the biggest reasons for this decline
is a change in how forests are maintained.
Narrator: Matsutake also grows best with red pine trees
that are a few decades old.
But over the past century,
an invasive pest called pinewood nematode
has been hurting the growth of red pine trees
throughout Japan.
Without the trees, matsutake won't be able to survive.
The mushrooms also need ample rainfall
and cool temperatures early in the season.
All of these factors create
a delicate balance for matsutake.
Harvests vary widely each year,
which causes big changes in price.
In 2018, prices were 20% to 50% lower
than the year before because of a good harvest.
But in 2019, when there was a period of dry weather,
prices almost doubled, reaching over $800 per kilogram
in some parts of Japan.
Narrator: Today, Japan imports over 90% of its matsutake
from places like China and South Korea.
In 2019, only around 14 of the 1,000 metric tons consumed
were harvested domestically.
Imported matsutake are more affordable
compared to the ones grown in Japan.
But some people consider these mushrooms
to be less fresh and not as flavorful.
Matsutake with a closed cap are often considered
to be the most valuable.
But different sizes are used in different types of dishes.
Narrator: A full-course meal at this inn
costs around $130.
Narrator: Due to the declining harvests,
matsutake mushrooms were listed as "vulnerable" in 2020.
But the species isn't gone yet.
Narrator: But if its growth
and environment aren't sustained,
this legendary mushroom
likely won't get cheaper anytime soon.