Photo Journal: Chili out

Employees of spice maker Kanzuri Co. toss chili peppers onto the snow on Jan. 20, 2017, in Myoko, Niigata Prefecture. The company harvests the chili peppers in the autumn, salts them and scatters them on the snow every January, leaving them in the open for three to four days. The practice is said to reduce the peppers' harshness and saltiness, giving them a mellower flavor. On Jan. 20, workers laid out about a metric ton of chilis, and the total will rise to about 15 tons by early March. (Mainichi)