(Photo courtesy of Yoshihito Morita)
Although the hot temperatures continue, autumn is gradually coloring its way across Japan as it enters harvest season.
Look around and you will find signs of autumn here and there. Breathtaking sunsets and a beautiful silver moon continue lighting up the evening sky while crickets chirp around us. In addition to cooler temperatures, the fall season is also blessed with a variety of autumnal delights like sanma (Pacific saury), various mushrooms, persimmons, pears and other nuts and fruits.
In Aomori Prefecture, home to Misawa Air Base, signs of fall are starting to peek through.
Yoshihito Morita, a Misawa Commissary employee, just sent us photos of chestnut and persimmon trees bearing plenty of fruit at his home in Tohoku Town. While he has already started picking chestnuts, the persimmon are still ripening to reddish hues.
“I trimmed more branches of our chestnut trees before bearing nuts, so, I could harvest less but larger chestnuts this year,” Morita said.
“As bearing persimmons seem to start to ripen, I am looking forward to enjoying picking the fruits and getting a taste of autumn at home sometime soon.”
Are you ready to enjoy an autumn activity by picking the taste of autumn yourself? Chestnuts are delicious when they are cooked as kuri gohan steamed rice and chestnuts.
In Misawa and other regions of Aomori, “inekari” rice reaping starts in early October, showcasing autumn gradually deepening into the cold season. So, it is time to enjoy autumn in Japan, as this pleasant season won’t last long!
(Photo courtesy of Yoshihito Morita)
(Photo courtesy of Yoshihito Morita)
(Photo courtesy of Yoshihito Morita)
(Photo courtesy of Yoshihito Morita)
(Photo courtesy of Yoshihito Morita)
For more about Japan’s autumn traditions, check out the following Stripes Japan stories:
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