Photographing sugidama

Sugidama is a traditional item rarely seen today, still displayed only in areas with traditional sake breweries, so I never miss a chance to photograph one...

What is sugidama? It's a brown sphere hung above the entrance of a sake brewery or a sake serving bar, used in the past as indicator that the sake has aged enough to be consumed. Initially made of freshly picked green needles of cryptomeria (sugi in Japanese), the sugidama dries slowly, changing its color to brown during the same period of time needed to age the sake...