Although rare, some wild wakame, such as Mitoku's premium San-Riku Sun-Dried Wild Wakame, is still harvested in Japan. The cold Pacific waters are clean and clear, providing the perfect environment for wakame. The wild wakame from San-Riku has a vitality and depth of flavor that is unequaled by cultivated varieties.

Mitoku Ita Wakame is a sheet wakame specially prepared from a unique strain of wakame. Known as izumo-wakame, this wakame is specially dried in large sheets and is incredibly tender. Unlike regular wakame in the long strips it does not need cooking. and can be cut with scissors, roasted and used in teas, for snacks, or crumbled as a fresh condiment. It is considered the most medicinal wakame. Its paper thin consistency is ideal for wrapping rice balls or sushi in place of nori, or added to miso soup or cold seaweed salads and perfect for sunomono (a type of cold vegetable and seafood salad dressed with vinegar and seasonings, served in a small portion).

Mitoku Wakame Root, known as Mekabu, is the flowering sprout of the wakame plant and has a strong, sweet, and creamy taste. Highly revered for its nourishing properties since it contains more minerals than the blade. It is customarily drank as a medicinal tea. It is also delicious when cooked thoroughly, and goes well with grains, beans, soups, or vegetable dishes and may be deep-fried without batter. Mitoku Mekabu is harvested the old, traditional way by hand-raking the sea floor and is still only collected by women divers. Enjoy this Japanese culinary treat!