Boy and girl scouts in Kyoto lent a helping hand to harvest "Ofuku Ume," a type of Japanese plum believed to bring good luck in the New Year, at the Kitano Tenmangu shrine earlier this month.
Under overcast skies, the scouts plucked fully grown plums off the trees at the Kyoto shrine famous for producing the Japanese fruit.
Ranging from elementary to middle school-age, around 60 scouts, from three different locations in the city, including the Tenmangu, Yasaka and Shimogamo shrines, took part.
There are roughly 1,500 plum trees within the shrine grounds, and the scouts hand-picked one by one plums that were between three to four centimeters in diameter.
The plums, once pickled and dried, become Ofuku Ume. Drinking tea made from them on New Year's Day is believed to bring good health and ward off illness.
"I love Umeboshi, but it was my first time plucking them," said an 11-year-old girl scout from Yasaka shrine. "I want everyone to enjoy them."
