5.19.22
Rice is to Japan like potatoes are to Idaho–the country’s identity lies in its passion for rice. Not only is it Japan’s biggest and oldest harvest (dates back to 2000 year and is still going strong), but it carries utmost importance to the nation’s culture to the point that Japan’s indigenous name means “the land where abundant rice shoots ripen beautifully.”
So of course I screamed YES when Yamoto-san, my 70ish yo Yakage bud, invited me to help with his annual ta-ue, aka rice-field planting.
Simply explained, rice-field planting is part 2 of the yearlong rice cultivation process…seeds are planted in early spring until they become 3-5 inch seedlings, transferred into the rice paddies late spring/early summer, grown over the summer, then harvested in mid autumn. (For more on the rice crop process this and this are good websites, and for more on the importance of rice in Japanese culture, this is a great place to go.)
Yamato-san lives in the northern mountains of Yakage, so his rice fields needed planting earlier than the neighboring towns, which happened to be this week. Thus, after full days of school this Tuesday and Wednesday, I was brought to Yamato-san's 7 terraced rice fields and he put me to work: cleaning the nae (rice bud) containers. Wahoooo…for tired arms and muddy clothes after washing 200+ trays that held about 250 individual naes. But he was kind and let me level up from tray-washer to nae-tractor driver (and I don’t even have a USA driver’s permit…heheh), which is how most Japanese people plant their paddies today. Even with the machine, the whole planting process takes a while –about three 12 hour days–but Yasuko-san, Yamato-san’s wife, was telling me how this was far superior to her days of hand-planting, which required gridding the fields, lining up in rows of 10-15 people, then bending over all day to lay each bud in the thick mud.
It’s amazing how young at heart these old souls are because after their whole day of hard labor,Yamato-san, Yasuko-san, and Osamu-san (Yamato-san’s brother) merrily led me to their home to prepare udon noodles…from scratch!? Yamato-san got a ball of udon dough he made the night before and started rolling it out, cutting it, then boiling it in an iron kettle over the wood-burning fire. Hearing the noodles boil with occasional fire crackling, smelling the firesmoke rising to meet the sunset over the terraces, seeing the noodles wiggle in the boiling froth, laughing at the random Yakage-accent chatter coming from the ojichans…I was filled with so much warmth and gratitude for having the privilege to be in that place, at that time, and with those people.
And the night didn’t end there…udon making was of course followed with udon eating, but unexpectedly also followed with an impromptu harmonica concert by Osamu-san, a koto (traditional Japanese string instrument) performance from Yasuko-san, and an attempt at a trumpet noise-making by Yamato-san. By the time they showed off all their talents, it was after 9PM… yet they took me firefly hunting before sending me home. Oh, and I forgot about our coffee break to prepare for the fireflies. And the karaoke they were providing when dropping me off at home.
Did I mention they were over 70, it was past 9PM, and they had been outside since 8AM planting 1000+ rice buds? Man, I hope I can be as full of LIFE as these three when I’m 70…
It was a dream come true (seriously, this isn’t even a cliche…I have dreamed of getting to be in the rice fields with the grannies in Totoro since preschool) getting to see and experience a piece of Japan’s core agricultural practice; however, the true gift to behold was being welcomed into friendship by Yakage’s older folk like Yamato, Yasuko, and Osamu sans. They’re so willing to give and share and talk (Yamato-san was constantly taking pictures of and for me when doing the rice gigs, as well as me listening to the music jams. He also made copies of newspaper clippings featuring him from 35 years ago after a big show and tell...it's kind of cute just how much he wanted to share) and I can only hope they’re having as much fun talking to someone who has so much to learn, like me.
So in conclusion, Yakage’s elderly are actually younger than most 20-some year olds like myself.
It must be something in the rice…rice, baby.
osamu and yamato bros!
inputting the seedlings into the machine
seedling darts after finishing with the machine
koto music
fresh udon noodles right after the boiling
yamato-san showed me how to stretch and cut udon
happy souls...dinner was sukiyaki with fresh rice and raw egg!
our udon dinner!
gifts they sent me home with...fresh cabbage from their garden, rice from their last harvest, and leftover fresh noods!
evidence I drove a rice tractor despite the fact I don't even have a driver's permit in the states!
machine go zoom zoom with rice seedlings!
the first performance~
the second performance...koto! (I didn't capture the last trumpet one because it was more exasperated breaths than notes)
