Mount Fuji, Eagles and Eggplants

Ichi-Fuji, Ni-Taka, San-Nasubi (= Mount Fuji, Eagles and Eggplants). What could these three possibly have in common? On the surface I would say not much. But today I picked up a handy bit of information. In Japan, the dream you have on the night of January 1 is an indicator of how lucky your new year will be. During the Edo Period, the #1 all-time best dream topic was Mount Fuji, followed by eagles and, pulling up the rear, eggplant. It is easy to understand why dreaming of Mount Fuji might bring good luck. Even eagles -- those impressive, if somewhat scary looking, birds fit the bill (especially if you happen to be an ornithologist). But eggplant??? I love eggplant. They are beautiful and can be eaten in lots of delicious ways. But I never thought that a purple vegetable had the power to portend the future. Apparently eggplants are farmed in Shizuoka Prefecture. And Shizuoka Prefecture, formerly known as Suruga, was the home of shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu, hence the association between good luck and a good, locally grown crop.