Persimmons being dried in Wakayama to make New Year’s decorations

Video footage taken on Nov. 5 in Katsuragi, Wakayama Prefecture, shows persimmons being peeled, skewered and hung out to dry for traditional New Year’s decorations. Ten persimmons are arranged on each bamboo skewer in a group of six flanked by two on each end, a combination that can be interpreted to mean “happy” and “harmonious.” Growers in the town ship out about 60,000 of the “kushigaki” skewered persimmons, which are usually displayed with the “kagamimochi” round rice cake laid out for the New Year’s holidays.