Kisao Nishi swiftly handpicks three crimson stigmas from a blooming saffron flower before moving onto another. November is a busy time for him — with the help of an assistant, he works against the clock to harvest one of the world’s most expensive and sought-after spices.
“There are about 70 or 80,000 flowers growing here,” Nishi, 71, tells me as we stand amid his tanada (rice terraces) tucked deep into mountain valleys in northeastern Kyushu, in the town of Hayanose, Saga Prefecture.
He beckons me to an unassuming nearby house. Inside, rows and rows of mauve saffron flowers peek out from stacked wooden shelves. The air is musty (windows are always kept closed and shaded to protect the delicate plants), but there’s another faintly sweet aroma wafting around.