September 2nd – September 6th, 2025 is Autumn – End of SHOSHO (Manageable heat)-42nd KOU “Rice ripens.”
The 42nd KOU notices that it is finally time for rice (KOME) to ripen. It’s a long-awaited KOME season for the Japanese.
This year, we were worried about the growth of KOME due to the record heat and lack of rain. By the way, the Japan Meteorological Agency has confirmed that the rainy season began around May 22nd, and it ended around June 28th that was 20 days earlier than usual.
Even in IIYAMA City (Northern part of the HOKUSHIN Area) where was on the brink of drought, KOME harvesting started on August 28th. It was apparently unusually early.
Around here (Southern part of the HOKUSHIN Area), it seems to be growing well as the heads are starting to droop quite. Harvest usually starts around mid-September. Within the same HOKUSHIN area, there are big differences.
There has been plenty of talk about KOME shortages from last year to this year, so I wonder if the price of new rice (SHINMNAI) might rise. But I still want to eat SHINMAI !
