A parcel from an acquaintance arrived today. What the first picture shows were the contents. They were edible chrysanthemums and I've never seen that kind of chrysanthemum until today. They originated from Yamagata prefecture, which is located in the northern part of Honshu which is the biggest island of the Japanese archipelago. My acquaintance privately obtained their seeds and raised them by himself. They seems to be a highly appreciated expensive ingredient in Japanese cuisine. My wife prepared them following the way he suggested. Its crispy texture and aroma were great. Japanese cuisine must be emphasized with it.
Japan is a small country, but has a variety of climates due to its longitudinal shape from the subpolar to the subtropical region. Moreover, Japan has an abundant supply of water nationwide. The success of the cultivation of this kind of chrysanthemum would be attributed to the diversity of climate and abundant clean water.
Talking of water, when I joined an event which was held by the joint association of Japanese sake breweries around my hometown on October 5th, the bottles shown in the next picture were served at first. They were bottled water which had been used for producing sake in respective breweries. Producing nice sake absolutely requires clean water. Those bottles of water were the pride of each brewer. I am really thankful that Japan is rich in water.
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