Strange or good omen? This Japanese yam naturally grew into a peace sign
It is already November, but 2020 has been something of a mess. What was supposed to be a good start to a new decade was thrown off course by the coronavirus. Yet, rising above this cloud of gloominess is a Japanese yam that has naturally taken the shape of a peace sign.
As if it were Mother Nature’s way of conveying hope, the strangely-shaped yam is the only one out of 30 from the same farm that looks disturbingly like a human’s hand. To top it off, this 50-centimetre long yam has bends and sections that look like real fingers and joints!
収穫されたピースサインの形をした山芋
川俣町小神の農業高木茂男さん(73)方でピースサインをしている手の形にそっくりの山芋が収穫され話題を呼んでいる。
山芋の長さは約50cmで先月末に自宅隣の畑で収穫され収穫した約30本のうち1本の山芋に多くの曲がりやくびれがあり本物の指や関節の様に見える。 pic.twitter.com/OljuxWYtKy— 横浜の人(愛称エル) (@YokohamaNoHito) November 7, 2020
Harvested late last month, the peace-sign yam was grown by 73-year-old farmer Shigeo Takagi from Kogami in Kawamata town, Fukushima prefecture. Takagi said that although he had harvested U-shaped yams before, the peace sign was a first and he had no idea why it became like this.
“With the coronavirus infection still ongoing, many people tend to be depressed,” said Takagi. “I want to wish upon this peace sign for harmony. It’d be nice if this incident can make people smile even a little.”
In response to the news, Japanese netizens marvelled at the mysteriously-shaped yam, claiming that the peace sign looked like it came from anime or manga, and that it would be a pity to eat it. Just like what Takagi hoped for, one even replied, “I feel happy now.”
