Japan arrests son of unofficial North Korean envoy in mushroom case

[webfact]

Japan arrests son of unofficial North Korean envoy in mushroom case
By Anna Fifield

TOKYO — Police arrested the son of North Korea’s unofficial ambassador to Japan on Tuesday for allegedly smuggling expensive mushrooms into the country, in the latest incident underlining the increasing tensions between Tokyo and Pyongyang.

The two countries had been working together last year to resolve the decades-old case of Japanese citizens who had been abducted by North Korea. But as Pyongyang has dallied on issuing a report on the whereabouts of the missing Japanese, Tokyo has extended bilateral sanctions and conducted several police raids against North Korean operations in Japan.

Full story: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/japan-arrests-son-of-unofficial-north-korean-envoy-in-mushroom-case/2015/05/12/f8bf1b59-ed04-41e5-b7f2-94d2f8fe2996_story.html

-- Washington Post 2015-05-13

[zyphodb]

Expensive mushrooms??? Hallucinatory ones I've heard of but expensive???

Something lost in the translation I think....

[quandow]

Once again, STELLAR article, raising more questions than giving answers.

[tifino]

mind expansive?

[Basil B]

If the PM or any other Japanese were to get a invitation to North Korea to inspect it's anti Aircraft Artillery, I would advise giving it a miss.

[White Christmas13]

Just watched a cooking show with Heston Blumenthal last week he bought

some mushrooms in Italy for a recipe for a whopping 65 euros a kilo

that is expensive

[Tywais]

What’s the most expensive mushroom in the world? The title belongs to matsutake mushrooms, Japan’s answer to the black truffle. While prices are not quite as high as the most expensive truffles, who’s rich flavor is sought in high societies around the world, top quality matsutake retail for a respectable $1,000 per pound. But why are matsutake so sought after and what makes them so expensive?

<snip>

Another factor that determines price is where the mushroom comes from. Matsutake collected from the bottom of red pines in the Tamba region outside of Kyoto are said to be the best and are the most expensive. As the country now only harvests less than 1,000 tons per year, 90% of Japan’s matsutake are imported from places like North and South Korea, China, and the American northwest. These imported varieties are much cheaper and sell for an average of 10,000 yen ($110) per kilogram.

http://www.japanguidebook.com/japans-200-mushrooms-126/

[HerbalEd]

Expensive mushrooms??? Hallucinatory ones I've heard of but expensive???

Something lost in the translation I think....

Nothing lost in translation ... you just don't know about mushrooms. Some rare eatable mushrooms can be very expensive. Truffles and matsutake mushrooms can cost as much as $2,000 per kilo. I was once treated to a fresh truffles lunch in the Italian Alps where the cost was $200 per plate.

[HerbalEd]

What’s the most expensive mushroom in the world? The title belongs to matsutake mushrooms, Japan’s answer to the black truffle. While prices are not quite as high as the most expensive truffles, who’s rich flavor is sought in high societies around the world, top quality matsutake retail for a respectable $1,000 per pound. But why are matsutake so sought after and what makes them so expensive?

<snip>

Another factor that determines price is where the mushroom comes from. Matsutake collected from the bottom of red pines in the Tamba region outside of Kyoto are said to be the best and are the most expensive. As the country now only harvests less than 1,000 tons per year, 90% of Japan’s matsutake are imported from places like North and South Korea, China, and the American northwest. These imported varieties are much cheaper and sell for an average of 10,000 yen ($110) per kilogram.

http://www.japanguidebook.com/japans-200-mushrooms-126/

In my home state of Oregon, USA some Japanese fly in and go up into the Cascade Mountains to hunt for wild matsutake mushrooms and then ... if they're lucky ... fly back to Japan with the mushrooms hidden in their luggage where they sell for a very high price indeed. Up to $2,000 per kilo ... and that's the bulk price. Sold in smaller lots they go for a lot more.

Why are they so expensive? Simple economics, really. They are delicious, people want them, and they are rare and getting rarer. Also, matsutake have been proven to modulate the body's immune system and an extract is used in Japan for treating certain forms of cancer.