Shiho Satsuka investigates the cultural and ecological significance of the matsutake mushroom in Japan—a symbol of culinary aesthetics that highlight its seasonality in nature. She analyzes how scientific research and local practices intersect in shaping human–nonhuman relations, foregrounding that scientific knowledge about nature is shaped by culturally specific epistemological frameworks and specific social concerns. She also challenges the nature–culture divide and demonstrates how the matsutake mushroom becomes a site for negotiating environmental knowledge in the context of industrialization.