At Kitano Tenmangu in Kyoto, which is known as a famous place for plum blossoms, the harvest of plum fruits used for the New Year's lucky charm "Daifuku Ume" began on the 25th.
At Kitano Tenmangu in Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto, there are 50 types of plum trees that are said to have been liked by Sugawara no Michizane, the god of learning, and a total of about 1,500 trees are planted.
Plum fruits are used in Daifuku Ume, a lucky charm that is said to allow you to spend a year in good health if you drink it in hot water or tea on New Year's Day.
This year, the ume fruits grow well, and the harvest started on the 25th, about a week earlier than usual.
Seven Miko in masks came out and carefully picked the fruits one by one by hand using a springboard.
The harvested fruits are salted until the end of the rainy season, and when they are left in the sun for about a month, they turn red and are distributed to worshipers at the end of the year.
According to Kitano Tenmangu, the harvest takes about 1 week to 10 days, and this is expected to be about 2 tons, which is about the same as normal.
Tomona Oishi of Miko said, "It is a plum that has the benefit of eradicating the plague and having no illness. I picked it with the hope that it will be delivered to everyone even in Korona-ka."