This study was conducted to develop a new drying method far reducing the drying cost and time and to investigate the drying characteristics of oak mushroom. A far infrared dryer of down draft air flow type used for this experiment can control the drying parameters, such as far infrared heater temperature and aeration velocity. The far infrared drying tests were performed at aeration velocities of 0.3 and 0.6m/s under the temperature of 90 and 100$^{circ}C$ in for infrared heater, respectively. The results were compared and analyzed with those of an heated air drying method used as a control in terms of properties representing the drying characteristics. such as shrinkage rate, color, energy consumption amino acid components, drying rate and moisture ratio. The results obtained from this research can be summarized as follows. 1. The drying rate of far infrared drying was faster than that of heated air drying. With high temperature of far infrared heater and slow aeration velocity, the far infrared drying of down draft air flow type was superior to the heated air drying. 2. Most of far infrared drying conditions required less energy consumption than heated air drying. 3. The shrinkage rates of heated air drying and far infrared drying were decreased by 17.0% and 18.2∼19.8%, respectively. 4. The difference of color on oak mushroom surface before and after drying can be represented as $Delta$E. $Delta$E values of far infrared drying and heated air drying were 2.39∼4.55 and 6.77, respectively. 5. The amounts of free amino acids were higher in the far infrared than in the heated air drying. In addition the amounts of Gln and Glu generally were increased and those of Ala, Leu, and Val were decreased in order.