The "Doyo-boshi" (mid-summer sun-drying process) for "Fuku-ume" (auspicious New Year's pickled plums) has begun at Nagaoka Tenmangu Shrine in Tenjin 2-chome, Nagaokakyo City, Kyoto Prefecture. Under the blazing sun, the refreshing aroma of the rows of plums drifts on the summer breeze, enveloping the shrine grounds.
Fuku-ume are believed to ward off evil spirits for the coming year when consumed in hot water or tea on New Year's Day. The plums used for this purpose—19 kilograms in total—were harvested from the shrine's own trees in early June and subsequently pickled in salt.
On July 15, 2026, a day marked by clear blue skies, shrine priests carefully arranged the plums one by one on straw mats set up in front of the main worship hall, while visitors looked on with interest and took photographs. The plums will be sun-dried for about a month and then distributed to worshippers starting on December 13, the day known as "Kotohajime" (the start of preparations for the New Year).
