There are two kinds of gathering in the game: the kind of gathering that Sakuna can do herself, and the kind of gathering that she sends the others off to do. As you progress through the game, you will unlock more areas in which to gather.
There are Gathering Spots, which are physical locations Sakuna can visit to pick up items from gathering points as well as ore nodes and bushes, and there are Gathering Areas, which Sakuna can send others to gather, wherein they will return at the end of the day with their haul. Both are unlocked with certain exploration levels, often after or near clearing their respective areas.
Gathering can yield certain items that cannot be obtained or are otherwise difficult to obtain elsewhere.
Gathering Spots[]
Each region of the game (Plains, Forest, River, Mountain, Fortress) has a corresponding Gathering Spot that Sakuna can go to pick up items Often they will be dotted with ore nodes, jars, bushes etc. that yield items. However, the main draws of these places are the gathering points themselves - a glowing green spot that can be interacted with using the interact button. Once interacted with, Sakuna will stay there for the next few hours gathering items. Keep in mind that since time passes - around 6 hours - your perishables can go off in this time. The gathering spot will then disappear, and will reappear the next day.
Gathering speed and quantity is random though can be affected by skills and Spirit Boughs.
The Gathering Spots in the game are as follows:
Gathering Areas[]
There are 11 Gathering Areas total in the game; these are not physical locations that Sakuna can visit herself, but instead she can send the other mountain pass residents (Yui, Kinta, Myrthe, Tauemon, Kaimaru) along with a dog companion to gather. They will be gone until evening, by which point anyone sent out to gather will come back and present their haul via a menu that appears whenever you visit home. They can be called back early, though they will bring back less. When someone is away gathering, their icon will be over the gathering point they were sent to.
Take note that since each person sent gathering needs a dog companion to gather with them, the maximum number of people you can send out gathering is limited by the number of dogs you have at the pass. This number can be increased by sending Kaimaru to different Gathering Areas; in some cases, he will return with various animals, which include dogs.
Take note that different people will focus more on certain things as they gather; Kaimaru leans more towards fertilizer, Myrthe leans more towards ingredients, Kinta leans towards ores and materials, Yui focuses more on gathering fruit and plants, and Tauemon has no real focus, opting to gather a balanced mix of items. It is recommended that at the start of each day, you send people gathering (given that you have no other business with them).
The Gathering Areas in the game are as follows: