The Japanese imperial harvest ritual that thanks the gods for the year’s newly harvested rice is Niiname-sai.
Niiname-sai is an annual Shinto ceremony performed by the Emperor of Japan. During the ritual, the Emperor offers newly harvested rice and other new foods to the kami, or Shinto deities, and expresses gratitude for the harvest before tasting the offerings.
The ceremony takes place at the Imperial Palace on November 23. The date is also Japan’s Labor Thanksgiving Day, a modern public holiday whose origins are connected with older harvest and imperial rites. Niiname-sai belongs to the broader tradition of first-fruit ceremonies in which the year’s new crop is ritually presented.
Niiname-sai is distinct from Shōgatsu, Japan’s New Year celebration, and Obon, a Buddhist-influenced season for honoring ancestral spirits. Its specific focus is the imperial offering and tasting of newly harvested rice.