On February 11, 2025, the "Myoga Festival" was held at Sushiro Shrine in Akashi, Yosano-cho, Kyoto Prefecture, where the growth of the myoga ginger is used to predict the success of rice crops. Based on the appearance of the sprouts planted in the shrine grounds, it was determined that this year would be a good harvest of early rice. The shrine parishioners prayed for a safe harvest in the autumn.
The origin of the festival is said to be around 1897, when the shrine planted seedlings received from Asusuki Shrine in Ayabe City in the Kanda rice paddy and began fortune-telling.
The chief priest Goto Koichi (71 years old) and the parishioners performed a Shinto ritual in the main hall and then moved to the Kanda on the north side of the grounds. The Kanda was divided into early rice, mid-season rice, and late rice, and after the chief priest Goto purified the Kanda, the parishioners and worshippers compared each seedling. Worshippers were given a talisman that listed the growth of the myoga ginger.
Ryonao Miyamoto (36 years old), who works for a processing and sales company that makes bara sushi and other products using rice grown in the town, said, "I'm relieved that we can expect a good harvest of koshihikari rice, which is planted early."
