On September 15th we enjoyed a Harvest Moon. It was the most beautiful night for a full moon this year.

At this time of year, farmers everywhere prepare to harvest their crops, and September’s full moon is when they pause to give thanks and pray for a good harvest.

Each year then, as part of this tradition, we prepare autumn flowers and tsukimi dango (moon dumplings) in the lobby at Dai-ichi Takimotokan to welcome our guests. Made especially for us at a local factory, the tsukimi dango are fluffy and always a popular treat!

The day of the full moon dawned with perfect autumn weather.

We waited, though, for night to come and watched for the moon to rise. When it did, though, we found it was a little difficult to capture it perfectly with a camera. (It does look almost the same as the tsukimi dango, too!)

However, with the naked eye it was a breathtaking sight. Whether viewed from the open-air bath or one of our rooms, many of our guests enjoyed watching it rise and move through the night.

We could not help but think, too, of the spate of typhoons that passed through this summer and of the farmers who suffered severe damage as a result. Our hearts are with them.