On the 6th, which is designated as "Plum Day" after the deceased, a sake brewery in Kainan City, Wakayama Prefecture, began preparing plum wine using the specialty Minami Takaume.

In Wakayama Prefecture, which boasts the largest plum harvest in Japan, a group of plum producers in the prefecture designates June 480 every year as "Plum Day" in honor of the fact that the Emperor dedicated plums and performed a Shinto ritual about 6 years ago.

On this day, a sake brewery in Hainan City began brewing plum wine on the 6th, and about 8.5 tons of freshly harvested Nanko plums were brought in.

The plums were washed with water and then soaked in a 4.2-meter-high and 2.6-meter-diameter tank filled with alcohol and sugar for brewing.

The brewery plans to brew about 250 tons of plums this month, of which the sake brewed on the 6th will be shipped as new sake to other parts of Japan and overseas such as Taiwan in November.

Mr. Hiroaki Fujiwara, who works as a plum wine brewer at a sake brewery, said, "The fruits of this year's plum are fat, beautiful, and full of plum extracts.