October has been a month of sunny days with chilly nights that leave a heavy dew in the morning that is lit up as the sun streams through though the valleys. The leaves are starting to turn and persimmons are ripening on the trees. Rice straw is left to dry in bundles on bamboo poles or fences.
There are many festivals to give thanks and appreciation for the rice harvest. Local shrines hold mochi (dried rice balls) throwing events where locals scramble to catch mochi tossed by shrine maidens and priests, and come away with brimming bags full.
Kando Journal & Kitchen 