Japanese traditions: What entrance balloons symbolize

In November and December, the owners of some Japanese shops and catering establishments hang a balloon made of branches of cryptomeria, an evergreen tree of the cypress family, which is considered the national tree of Japan. Over time, the ball dries out, taking on a brown color, but they are in no hurry to remove it.

Sugidama (as it is called) is a symbol of sake. It is suspended above the entrance to establishments that sell drinks. The green ball indicates that sake made from the new rice crop has passed the filtration stage and can be consumed within a few months. And the dried ball signals: “It’s time! The drink is quite seasoned.”

“The bright green sugidamas hung in late autumn have long turned dark brown, and you can feel that winter is on its last legs. Visit. A F R I N I K .C O M . For the full article. This means that there are many sake tastings ahead, and with them, many adventures” (author of the Origin Sake blog, Japan).

It is believed that the tradition originated in the 17th–18th centuries in Nara Prefecture, specifically at the Ōmiwa-jinja shrine, where the deity sake is revered. Surprisingly, in Japanese mythology, this alcoholic drink with a strength of 14-20% has its own god. He is also responsible for the growth of rice, from which it is prepared.

Therefore, in the past, when peasants asked the deity to provide favorable conditions for cereal growth and thanked him for a good harvest, they offered tribute in the form of sake. According to an ancient belief, when the drink is ready, the deity descends into the sugidama, which causes it to change color.

The size of the ball can be any. For example, the Momokawa Sake brewery in Aomori Prefecture once produced a sugidama with a circumference of 2.2 meters and a weight of approximately 500 kilograms. Five workers worked on the balloon for a week, and it is considered one of the largest ever made.

However, establishments that are particularly proud of the range and quality of their sake continue to hang green balloons made of cryptomeria branches over the entrance from year to year. For their sake, it is more than just an alcoholic drink.