Drum beats for sacred treats

The Yomiuri Shimbun

16:05 JST, June 26, 2022

People wearing traditional outfits plant rice seedlings during an Omiwa Shrine ritual in Sakurai, Nara Prefecture, on Saturday. During this annually held prayer for a bountiful harvest, the seedlings were planted in a rice field dedicated to the gods as a taiko drum kept rhythm. The rice will be harvested at a festival on Oct. 20 and used to make festival offerings and sacred sake. If the rice grows well, there is expected to be a harvest of about 90 kilograms.