Red dragonflies fly in the circles, the Autumn wind blows colder than the summer. Rice glows rapidly as if it reaches the sky in this season. Autumn in Asuka brings a rich harvest. A month later, the rice sways like a thread of gold and then we will have the harvest time, when the beauty …

It’s very hot in Summer in Asuka, Yamato. Recently it’s getting cool in the night but we still have heat in the daytime. It is obvious that the best solution to avoid the heat is being near the water. Up the river, there is a water place to play. The water there is extremely cold …

Japanese love and anticipate firework festivals in summer time. In the hot summer of Asuka, only the fireworks in the night sky makes you forget about the heat by its absolute beauty. Asuka village had a summer festival on August 15 every year. Many people had visited Asuka to enjoy the festival followed by the …

The Asuka river runs through Asuka village. We tried to catch fish there! Fishing net with bait was placed at the dent in the river for a few hours. After a couple hours, so many fish have been caught!! Such a clear stream could nurture various kinds of creatures. Moreover this clear water grows great …

Do you know of the Sake Brewery near the Kashiharajingumae railway station? It is only a 5 minutes walk to the Kita Brewery founded in 1718. After passing through the quaint entrance gate, the tour begins. The brewery is family owned by generations. Today the third owner held a tour to show the carefully selected …

After rice-planting, rice grows quickly in summer. You can find various kinds of creatures at the paddy field. Frogs are the lively ones, especially at night. Around this time, you can see the transformation of their shapes from eggs to tadpoles, then to frogs. Besides frogs, there are river snails, tadpole shrimps, water striders, dragon …

Wind chimes recall summer for most Japanese. In old times, Chinese used Futaku for divination which was brought to Japan along with Buddhism. Back then people believed that the wind brought disease and disaster. The sound of Futaku creates a sanctuary to prevent catastrophe; thus monks hang wind-belles from the eaves. Futaku was mostly made …

After the rainy season, extreme heat has been continuing. Summer has come! As Asuka, Yamato is in the basin and especially famous for being hot in summer, we have less tourists around this time of year. However, it’s also the time to feel very strong life force by the fast growing crops and shining trees …

Satoyma landscape in Asuka, Yamato has a lot of bamboo groves. In Spring, you can get bamboo shoots there. Thanks to Mother nature, they are absolutely delicious when they are fresh! Bamboo was commonly used in Japan for daily items. However, after the introduction of plastic products, plastic has become more popular and replaced bamboo. …