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The strange seasonal surprise hanging from the ceiling of this station in rural Japan【Photos】

Casey Baseel Nov 29, 2020
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Nakanojo welcomes you to Gunma with a beautiful local tradition you won’t find at any other station in Japan.

There are certain things you expect to see on a train station platform, like, for starters, trains. Benches and timetables are also pretty much givens, and this being Japan, you can pretty much always count on a vending machine or two.

But it’s safe to say that no one except locals expects to see what’s waiting for them at this time of year on the platform of Nakanojo Station in Gunma Prefecture.

この時期の中之条町の風物詩といえば、
中之条駅の「つるし柿」

今年も駅のホームで見ることができますよ☺️

#中之条駅 #つるし柿 #柿 #中之条町 #なかんじょめぐり pic.twitter.com/yA86aqL37L

— 中之条町観光協会 (@NakanojoTownTA) November 10, 2020

No, those aren’t early Christmas decorations, and they’re not bird feeders either. They are food, though, and something that’s especially loved in Japan in the fall: persimmons!

つるし柿　甘くな～れ　ＪＲ中之条駅 - https://t.co/noYnhZGPZJ pic.twitter.com/XWIqnMEPih

— きたかんナビ (@kitakan_navi) November 17, 2016

Specifically, they’re hoshigaki, or “dried persimmons,” a traditional way of preserving the fruit by peeling them and suspending them in air. Not only does their vibrant orange hue provide a splash of color for anyone looking up, they also nicely complement the shade of the trains that pass through Nakanojo on the JR Agatsuma Line.

https://twitter.com/10348y/status/937156575097110528

中之条駅　吊るし柿 pic.twitter.com/gYOyA6xUsz

— KUNI (@Ksato185E651E25) November 7, 2019

The hoshigaki are an annual event at Nakanojo Station, and usually go up following the town’s autumn festival, which includes a persimmon peeling contest. This year though, the festival was cancelled due to coronavirus precautions, but to keep the tradition going city employees peeled the persimmons themselves, preparing some 1,200 pieces of fruit, 50 of which came from a tree growing on the station grounds.

中之条駅に、干し柿干させれてた！！本物だよー！やばい！ pic.twitter.com/JIYP28rAnJ

— 欲に負けた愚か者 (@C188888) November 21, 2020

Since making hoshigaki is an autumn custom, they’ll only be on display until the end of December, before presumably being eaten by the local community. However, Nakanojo celebrates other seasons too, with traditional dolls in February and wind chimes, long thought by Japanese people to provide a cooling sensation with their gentle sound, in midsummer.

📌群馬県中之条駅
幸せを呼ぶ「吊るし雛」

小さな雛人形をたくさん作って、全部吊るすもの。可愛い人形かと思いきや、1つずつ意味があるんだとか！

色んな想いを込めて作られた吊るし雛。とても素敵でした✨#群馬 #四万温泉 pic.twitter.com/DUDOBZRnnt

— あゆってぃ@YouTube更新中🤍 (@ayutty514) February 12, 2018

中之条駅風鈴短冊は中之条小学校6年生の将来の夢が書いてあります pic.twitter.com/aUuotaLyfQ

— KUNI (@Ksato185E651E25) August 3, 2019

It just goes to show that Japanese train station platforms are full of surprises.

Source: NHK News Web
Featured image: Twitter/@NakanojoTownTA
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