72 Seasons

The gradual appearance of the butterbur flowers from out of the snow-covered soil is a symbol of the long-awaited coming of spring.
The flower and supporting stem beneath it is referred to as "fuki no to", and it has been favored as a specialty vegetable of Japan due to its crispy texture, bittersweet taste and strong aroma. By cooking the butterbur sprout as tempura, or finely chopping it and mixing with miso to create "fukimiso (miso-tossed butterbur)", you might begin to sense that spring is somehow being incorporated into the everyday.

©Utsukushii Kurashikata Institute