The Sea of Japan in the raging winter. Overcast skies. Winter thunder, which is rare in the world. Rice fields in Shonai covered with snow. Rest until next season. On days of snowstorms that block visibility, it’s hard to tell whether it’s a road or a rice field. During the freezing cold days, Shonai’s local specialty will warm you to the core. “Dongara-jiru” soup – cooked whole simmering seasonal cod from head to tail. Adds tofu and green onions in a pot with miso and sake lees. Natto soup made by adding mashed natto to miso soup. The thicken soup will warm your body. Sprinkle the seaweed on the soup. It a good scent of the beach. A variety of pickles, including bright pink pickles pickled in sweet vinegar, and hot Shonai rice will help you overcome the harsh winter.

Covers rice fields covered with golden ears of rice. Locusts are flying around, and cosmos called “autumn cherry blossoms” are blooming. Farmers have grown rice with great care. Harvest with a combine. After passing the quality inspections, it is finally shipped to the market. The newly harvested rice is plump and glossy. Miso soup with taro is a staple of autumn. It’s “imoni soup”. Stews taro, root vegetables, and meat in miso. Residents eat it in a group in the open air. The clear blue sky. The beautiful autumn leaves. And rice balls made by new rice. In October, the Tundra Swans come flying to spend the winter. Winter is just around the corner when you see them picking up fallen ears in rice fields all over Shonai.