Japanese Fungi Encyclopedia
In-depth guides to Japanese mushrooms — their ecology, culture, and culinary uses. Written for the English-speaking world by AfterRain.
Matsutake: Japan's Most Expensive Mushroom Has Been Completely Misunderstood by the West
Why the "truffle of Japan" framing gets matsutake completely wrong — and what that misunderstanding costs all of us.
Maitake: Japan's "Dancing Mushroom" and Why Western Food Culture Gets It Completely Wrong
Hen of the Woods has a story far richer than its appearance on American menus suggests.
The Mushrooms in Your Grocery Store Are Lying to You
What the label doesn't tell you about the shiitake, enoki, and nameko on your supermarket shelf.
The Invisible World Beneath Your Feet: What Fungi Are Really Doing Right Now
The organism is the invisible network beneath your feet — and it has been running Japan's forests, food, and medicine for over a thousand years.
How to Grow Oyster Mushrooms: The Japanese Method That Actually Works
Japan figured out oyster mushroom cultivation before most of the world. Here's how their bottle methods work — and how to use them at home.
Matsutake in Japan: Why 99% of the Harvest Disappeared
Japan once harvested thousands of tons of matsutake per year. Now it harvests less than 1%. What happened in the forests — and why it matters.
The Zombie Fungus from The Last of Us Is Real. Here's What It Actually Does.
The Last of Us made Ophiocordyceps famous. The real fungus is stranger — and more Japanese — than the show suggests.
Lion's Mane Mushroom Benefits: What the Science Actually Shows (And What Japan Knew First)
Western supplement culture discovered Lion's Mane recently. Japan has been studying yamabushitake for decades. Here's what the research actually says.
Reishi in Japan: What 1,400 Years of Use Looks Like Before the Supplement Industry Found It
Reishi has been in Japanese pharmacopoeia since the 7th century. The supplement industry found it in the 1990s. The two versions are very different.
Spring Mushrooms of Japan: A Forager's Guide to the Season After Rain
The weeks after Japan's spring rains bring an entirely different forest. Here's what's emerging from the soil — and what to know before you look.