Hello everyone, how are you？
It is still warm, but I feel that the season is changing.
The crickets started chirping at night. The cricket sound is the sign of the beginning of fall for us.
If you come to Aso from Kumamoto city or airport by car or train or even by bus now, you might notice that big handy fan on your left at the surface of the northern outer-rim.
The shape of the handy fan is really obvious on the grassland, as there is no trees from the controlled burning. And it looks quite steep where the big fan was cut……what is that for?
This is another traditional custom in Aso lasting more than 100 years at least.
It is to pray for the safety of their cows and horses and the health of people. Also they wished the big fan could blow the bad insects away from their rice field.
Nowadays, the locals cut the grass by weeding machine on the 1st Sunday in August.
The actual size is 50m×70m,it was larger than I thought!
These are the photos from one of our staff who joined the event 2 years ago.
She said it was pretty organized, each person knew what they should have done or where they should have cut.
I know some family from this area who takes care of cows and grassland, they are proud of what they do.
There are less farmers to graze their cows and horses at the grassland in these days though, I believe our wish for safety and health and peace won’t be never changed.
If you have a chance to see this big fan at the northern outer-rim of Aso caldera, please pray with us as this beautiful views and traditions in Aso will last forever!
Now it is really clear as they just had cut, but you can see the shape of the handy fan all year around, especially when it is snowy it will look like this ! It is cool, isn’t it?
Enjoy the rest of summer, Aso is beautiful in fall as well, we are looking forward to seeing you here in Aso, soon!
Kana
