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Autumn Food, Blog

Chōyō no sekku

08/09/2025 Leave a comment


Welcoming Autumn in Japan

Celebrating Chōyō no Sekku (Kiku no Sekku) Chrysanthemum Day

As the heat of summer fades and the first crisp breezes of autumn roll through Japan, nature begins its graceful transformation. Crimson maple leaves, golden rice fields, and the subtle scent of chrysanthemums signal not only a change in season, but also the arrival of an often overlooked yet deeply meaningful festival: Chōyō no Sekku (重陽の節句), also called Kiku no Sekku (菊の節句), or Chrysanthemum Festival.

Observed on September 9th, this day is one of the traditional Five Seasonal Festivals (五節句, go-sekku) in Japan, and it carries centuries of cultural significance.

What is Chōyō no Sekku?

The name “Chōyō” means “double yang,” as the number 9 is considered a yang (positive, active) number in Chinese numerology. The ninth day of the ninth month (9/9) is therefore considered highly auspicious and powerful. It’s a day to ward off evil, celebrate longevity, and honour beauty, symbolised by the chrysanthemum, a flower that blooms beautifully just as other plants begin to wither.

Chrysanthemums have long been associated with the Japanese imperial family and are seen as symbols of health, rejuvenation, and refinement.

Seasonal Foods of Chōyō no Sekku

Food is a central part of any Japanese celebration, and Chōyō no Sekku is no exception. Traditional foods for this day are both seasonal and symbolic, meant to promote health, longevity, and appreciation of the season.

Kuri Gohan (Chestnut Rice)

Autumn is chestnut season in Japan, and kuri gohan (栗ご飯) is a staple dish made by steaming rice with sweet chestnuts. The natural sweetness and earthy texture of the chestnuts evoke the bounty of fall and the nourishing qualities of seasonal harvests.

Kikuzake (Chrysanthemum Sake)

Perhaps the most iconic ritual of this festival is drinking kikuzake (菊酒)—sake infused with chrysanthemum petals. This elegant drink is said to promote long life and ward off illness. It’s often enjoyed while admiring blooming chrysanthemums in gardens or arrangements.

Kiku “chrysanthemum” or Kuri “chestnut” shaped  (Japanese Sweets)

Wagashi artisans often craft sweets for this day, using ingredients like sweet bean paste and mochi. These confections are not only delicious but also a feast for the eyes, echoing the beauty and grace of the flower they honour. This year I used chestnuts. 

Celebrating Chrysanthemum Day Outside of Japan

Even if you’re not in Japan, there are simple and meaningful ways to celebrate Chōyō no Sekku and welcome the seasonal shift into autumn.

1. Create a Chrysanthemum Arrangement

Buy fresh chrysanthemums from a local florist and create your own arrangement. Display them in your home to evoke the spirit of the festival and appreciate their beauty as a sign of the changing season.

2. Try Infusing Tea or Sake with Edible Chrysanthemums

Look for dried edible chrysanthemum flowers (often found in East Asian markets) and try steeping them in hot water or sake. Even without sake, chrysanthemum tea is calming and aromatic.

3. Cook a Seasonal Meal

Make your own version of kuri gohan (you can substitute other fall ingredients like squash or sweet potatoes if chestnuts are hard to find). Pair it with other autumn flavours to create a grounding seasonal meal.

4. Practice Mindful Seasonal Transition

Chōyō no Sekku is also about reflection, appreciation, and preparing for the coming colder months. Take a moment to slow down, journal, or meditate on the changes happening around and within you as summer gives way to autumn. Maybe enjoy a relaxing tea and wagashi Japanese sweet.

A Gentle Shift Toward Stillness

While it may not be as widely celebrated today, Chōyō no Sekku offers a gentle invitation to pause and reconnect with the rhythms of nature. Whether through food, flowers, or simple moments of reflection, this festival reminds us that beauty, like the fleeting chrysanthemum bloom, is most meaningful when noticed in its time.

So wherever you are, take a moment on September 9th to celebrate this subtle seasonal shift—and maybe even raise a cup of chrysanthemum tea to the longevity and beauty of life itself.

Want more inspiration and recipes read my other blog posts

“Kiku no Sekku 菊の節句” & “菊の節句 Chrysanthemum Day

Blog, Summer Food

Obon & How you can celebrate even if you are not in Japan.

11/08/2023 3 Comments

The 13th-16th of August marks a period in japan known as Obon お盆. A Buddhist custom to honour the spirits of ones ancestors. The Buddhist festival has been celebrated for more than 500 years. It is a time of celebration as people feel they are reunited once more with loved ones who have passed away. It is a time for sato-gaeri, or “returning home” not only for departed friends and family but for living people in rural areas that may have moved to cities for work or education that return home to visit family.

Obon starts with welcoming fires (mukaebi 迎え火) lanterns known as chochin may also be lit outside people’s houses to guide the spirits home.

Food offerings (osonae/ozen お供え／御膳)  are made maybe on a family alter or tokonoma. It could be the person favourite food or seasonal produce. As well as food offering mukaé bi (welcoming) rituals  are practiced and you may see cucumbers and eggplants made into animals by giving them legs made of tooth picks. These are called Shouryouma 精霊馬 and are said to depict horses and ox that spirits travel on two and from our world. The horse is said to ward off evil and serve as fast travel to earth where as the cow is slower to travel back when the spirits depart. On the last day of Obon the cow and horse will be left by the river bank.


Why eggplants and cucumbers? I think it is because these vegetables reach their peak season  during the summer around the time of obon. This is known as shun ( peak seasonal produce).

As well as making cucumbers and eggplants in to spirit vehicles I thought it might be nice to share with you an easy recipe you maybe might like to make over obon to utilise these abundant veggies which can be used in a multitude of ways.
山形だし Yamagata Dashi
This is very different to the dashi you might be aware of that’s made as a soup stock from things like shiitake and kombu. This dish is an iconic specialty from Yamagata prefecture mainly eaten in the Murayama region, which is surrounded by mountains and has extremely hot and humid summers, and was initially a popular dish for farmers to make as they picked their crops fresh from the fields.
Nowadays you will find this enjoyed in restaurants even outside Yamagata prefecture. This healthy and refreshing vegetable dish is a bit like a Japanese equivalent of a salsa. With raw finely chopped eggplant, cucumber, Myoga ginger and Shiso leaves and sometimes other vegetables like green onion, okra, corn, chives, edamame and shishito peppers.
Yamagata Dashi is commonly seasoned with soy sauce but is also very light and refreshing with a citrus ponzu to pour over noodles and tofu.
Ingredients:
1/2 a small eggplant
1 small cucumber or 2 mini cucumbers
1 bulb myoga ginger
1-3 fresh Shiso leaves
Plus any other vegetables and herbs listed above .
Salt and soy sauce
Method :
First slice and chop up finely your eggplant add this to a jar or bowl with water and 1 teaspoon of salt . Keep the eggplant submerged to soften by putting a plate on top leave for an hour then tip out the water, squeeze the eggplant and add to a  bowl.
Slice your cucumber in half and scrape out the seeds. Dice the cucumber and place in a bowl with a teaspoon of salt gently rub in the salt and leave for half an hour then rinse the cucumber and add to the bowl with the eggplant.
Wash the leaves of the Shiso and trim off the stem, pat them try with kitchen towel, slice in half stack them on top of each other, then roll them up tightly and cut into thin slices. Add them to the bowl with the cucumber and eggplant and toss them gently.
Cut the Myoga ginger in half then slice into thin shreds and add to the bowl. 
Add any other ingredients you like. You could maybe substitute shiso leaves for fresh basil. I have found shiso and myoga in places like natural natural in London and ichiba so try your own local asian supermarket.
Add a few tablespoons of soy sauce and maybe a some fresh yuzu juice or a squeeze of sudachi or lime. And you’re done.
As temperatures and humidity rise on hot summer days it can be enjoyed on top of chilled somen noodles
or cold silken tofu
or enjoyed simply on fluffy rice.
It’s even delicious stuffed into vegetables why not hollow out a tomato or pepper and add your dashi inside.


There are a number of theories as to the origin of the word “Dashi” (soup stock), for example, because “Dashi” brings out the best in other ingredients; “Dashi” comes from the word “Kiridasu” (cut from) used when vegetables are chopped into small pieces and “Dashi” comes from the word “Dasu” (serve) used when vegetables are quickly served at the table after being chopped and seasoned.
As well as using this recipe to utilise eggplant or cucumber you could also try “Eggplant Agebitashi” a fried and soak summer dish or “Nasu no nimono” (simmered eggplant) or “Kyuri Itame” a cooked cucumber dish. All of which can be found on this website.
During this period people pay respects at family graves this is known as  (ohakamaeri お墓前り)
It is not a somber time but a time to reflect and celebrate some one’s life. The obon celebrations often involves a  special matsuri where people may dress up in their finest Yukata and dance a celebration dance known as ( bon odori 盆踊り). This matsuri is a time for families to get together and enjoy lots of street food like Okonomiyaki, yakisoba and takoyaki.
You could also think about cooking up one of your favourite Japanese street foods if you cannot visit a bon odori festival yourself at home and put on your favourite music and have a dance!
Lastly at the end of Obon are farewell fires & lantern processions known as okuri-bon (送り火、灯籠流し) to guide the spirits back for another year. In recent years floating lanterns (toro nagashi) have gained popularity. The lanterns are lit and placed in a river that runs to the sea to symbolically send their ancestors spirits home.
In the UK we do not have such a tradition but I thought it might be nice to make Shouryouma and light some incense to remember my father, cat and good friend who have passed away and place photos of them on my tokonoma, in my tearoom at home. A tokonoma is a recessed space it could be an alcove or a special corner in your home. It is normally a place that would have a hanging scroll and a ikebana display of seasonal flowers. 
I also have a lantern which I will be leaving on to guide their way.
You could do a similar thing yourself maybe by just having a photo of someone who has passed away whose life you wanted to honour. Why not light a candle or incense and add some flowers by the side. Maybe they had a favourite chocolate bar you could add that too. If you’re wanting to welcome home pets that have passed, do you still have something that belonged to them? A collar or a favourite toy. However you want to celebrate it is a wonderful way to remember loved ones that have passed don’t you agree?