Family ties

The Yomiuri Shimbun

December 1, 2021

The finishing touches are being put on New Year entrance ornaments, known as shimekazari and believed to bring good luck, at a family-run restaurant that specializes in bamboo shoot dishes in Takaoka, Toyama Prefecture. The scent of straw permeates the work area as the entire family painstakingly braids the stalks. The ornaments come in various shapes of New Year symbols, such as the rising sun, all adorned colorfully with fern leaves, hondawara seaweed and yuzuriha leaves. The family will continue making the decorations until mid-December, after which the products will be sold at supermarkets and other outlets in western Toyama Prefecture.