"Boshu"
Time to plant seeds before
arrival of rainy season.

"Jamaki" (snake roll)
festival for blessed rain.

We'll now be healthy for one year.

Over at the temple in Nara...

Otowasan Kannonji Temple
Nara Prefecture.

So many "ume" plums!

- They're pretty and smell great!
- They're huge.

They smell so good.
But we can't eat them yet.

We need to prepare them first.

These are fully ripe.

- Look at them!
- They're so pretty!

- Like glazed candy.
- They're beautiful.

- Can we just stare at them?
- No, we have to wash them.

- Do we have to?
- Yes, we have to.

With these "nanko ume," we can
make plum wine and miso dressing.

The ripe ones are good for
pickling, or making juice and jam.

- What if the moisture stays?
- Then it'll get moldy, or the skin tears.

- This stem doesn't want to come out.
- Do you need reading glasses?

I'm getting cross-eyed.

I hope I don't scratch them.

- Are the red ones good for plum wine?
- Yes, that's right.

- Some don't seem ready yet.
- They're not green, but not quite red.

This one is ready.

- When will the plum wine be ready?
- In about a year.

- That's not enough.
- We'll be drinking it before we know it.

Not enough?
Should I add more?

- Let's do it our way.
- We want to drink a lot of it!

- The longer it takes, the better it tastes.
- We'll toast to our health in a year!

- Now we're making "ume" miso.
- 2 layers of miso, sugar, and "ume."

The juice will come out in a week.
And it'll be tasty in a year.

But we probably won't wait that long!

- Here's use our secret stash.
- We have so much!

These are also "nanko ume."
We made this batch last year.

It smells so sour.
It makes my mouth water.

- You have to do it more neatly, Matchan!
- I'm going to suck on the pit later.

I'm running out of space!

That's so creamy!

Let's get some exercise!
You're so cuddly!

I heard on the radio that the
rainy season is coming soon.

So I guess there's no need to
water the plants.

"Geshi"(summer solstice)
The longest day is followed by
the shortest night.

I'm plucking tea leaves.

Nara is known for its tea.
People eat tea porridge.

We're going to learn how to process
tea leaves.

Hi there!

- It's been a year.
- Good to see you again.

- Welcome.
- Thanks for having us.

- Is this for tea leaves only?
- Yes, that's right.

- Let me try.
- Come over here.

Push the leaves forward
as you mix them.

Then bring them back toward you.

- You can hear a crackling sound.
- Is that a good sign?

What do you think, Taeko.
Can you check?

I think that's enough.

- The liquid is coming out.
- That's what happens when you roll it.

You made it look easy, Ayako.
But it's not easy at all!

Well, I've been doing it for decades.

It's hard work processing tea leaves.

- That smells good.
- It has a nice aroma.

Let's enjoy!

It's kind of sweet. Very tasty.

- It's starting to burn over here.
- This side isn't red at all.

Back at the temple...
making rice porridge with tea.

Here's the rice!

I'm sitting properly,
like it's a tea ceremony!

- It's about medium thickness.
- That's good.

- It looks delicious.
- The rice and tea porridge is ready!

- It looks good.Now we can eat.
- Let's enjoy!

My stomach was saying,
"I can't wait!"

The porridge is delicious.
I can really taste the tea.

There's a song about how cuckoos start
singing when the "unohana" blooms.

The scent of unohana fills the brush,
and little cuckoos come in a rush.

With their first chirps of the year,
they let us know summer is here.

- You don't know this song?
- I've never heard it before.

- Were you sleeping in music class?
- Maybe.

"Summer purification"
ceremony in the village.

The steaming hot summer is
just around the corner.

"With summer purification,
you can live to be 1,000 years old."