mochi, and mandarin oranges, and drink sake and amazake. At the end of the night the hut is set on fire, and the fire is used to predict the crop conditions for the new year. Us newbie Tokamachi ALTs had heard tales of last year’s event from our regional advisor and fearless leader Taylor, so our crew set out to see what it was all about, with Taylor gleefully riding shotgun next to me as the dutiful and very crucial Designated Driver. The Burning Hut was in the mountains surrounding Tokamachi, up where there’s only a few farmers’ houses scattered about. I didn’t even know there were roads that went up that way. We pulled up to a small field with a mountain face rising up next to it and disappearing into the night sky. Old men were there to direct us to cramped parking and eventually into the hut itself, through a door that you practically had to crawl through. Inside was warmer than you’d think. We all removed our shoes and gathered around a bonfire. Local farmers kindly served us too-full bowls of soup, even after I accidentally dripped some of the hot liquid down the back of an old man’s neck! Even though people were constantly taking pictures of us and I couldn’t understand most of what was being said, there was a warmth and hominess to the gathering that could only be captured by small rural events such as these. They made sure we always had food close at hand and tried to chat with us.
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