Celebrating Akita Prefecture Day

I have a connection with Akita Prefecture that I don't have with many other prefectures. That is, that it is my husband's second home. His mother is from Akita and he spent much of his childhood in the prefecture, even living there for a short period of time. We have visited several times over the years.

Akita Prefecture day was on yesterday, August 29th, and for the occasion we had kiritanpo. Kiritanpo is a traditional comfort food from the Prefecture. It’s made by taking freshly cooked rice, pounding it until it becomes soft and slightly sticky, then shaping it by hand around long wooden skewers. The photo in this post may not look like the kiritanpo you see online. That is because it is freshly home-made kiritanpo, with the skewers removed, which is very common in homes with an Akita-jin! 

Because of the family connection, I most associate Akita with rice! And the prefecture is famed for it. But apart from it being a famous product of Akita and regularly eating Kiritanpo, another reason I associate the prefecture with the staple is because our relations in Akita, often send us bags of rice! They all grow their own. I don't know how people celebrate - or if they celebrate - Akita Day in the prefecture, but our little Kiritanpo indulgence was a nod to the day that was in it.