Just as there is an ancient Japanese custom of eating "Toshikoshi Soba" (year-end noodles) on Omisoka (December 31st) to pray for a healthy New Year, Shibushi has been proposing a new food culture of eating "new soba" made with the spring-sown variety "Haru no Ibuki" on Natsu Koshi no Obarai (June 30th) to pray for good health, through a three-way initiative involving a "producers' cooperative group," "processing businesses," and "the government." However, in recent years, the harvesting period for summer soba has shortened due to the effects of climate change, and it takes a certain amount of time to dry, mill, and process the raw soba into noodles. This has made it difficult, schedule-wise, to hold the "Shibushi Summer Soba Giveaway" at Anrakusanmiya Shrine and to offer and sell it at restaurants on Natsu Koshi no Obarai on June 30th. Therefore, we will begin offering Shibushi's Summer Soba with a release date of July 7th, Tanabata. Shibushi City is a town rich in specialty products produced by utilizing its warm climate, abundant groundwater, and soil accumulated from the Shirasu plateau and volcanic ash. Its eel production volume is particularly top-class in Kagoshima Prefecture. This year, we are holding a digital stamp rally with the hope that you will enjoy Shibushi City's seasonal ingredients (such as eel and chirimen) along with Shibushi's Summer Soba. If you participate in the stamp rally, you will also have a chance to win Shibushi City's specialty products, so please take this opportunity to visit Shibushi City. ■ Dedication of "Shibushi Summer Soba" On June 30th, Natsu Koshi no Obarai, a dedication ceremony for Shibushi's Summer Soba was held at Anrakusanmiya Shrine, where the Shibushi O-kusu tree, with a legend that Emperor Tenchi planted it himself, stands tall. Representatives from the Anrakusanmiya Shrine General Council, the Shibushi Summer Soba Producers' Cooperative, local residents, manufacturers, retailers, and government officials participated