Dr. Matthews, a specialist in ethnobotany at the National Museum of Ethnology, came all the way to Tokyo to give a face-to-face talk entitled 'Culinary traditions & genetic diversity in taro (sato-imo) & elephant ear (kuwazu-imo)'. He gave us a very broad overview of taro, a plant for which he continues to be a leading researcher. In pukapuka, wāwā is most common taro in their daily life, which is Colocasia esculenta. However, the taro plant family (Araceae) also includes Alocasia odora (kuwazu-imo, found in southern Japan) and giant swamp taro (Cyrtosperma merkusii) which is called plaka (puraka) in Pukapuka. The botanical characteristics of taro, the regional distribution of wild and cultivated taro, and its historical evolution from Asia to the Pacific were an eye-opener for us botanical amateurs. The two hours flew by as the lecture included realistic stories of experiments and tastings carried out by the professor himself. By the end of the evening, everyone was fascinated by the multifaceted nature of taro.