Let's look at the rice field again 👹🍣🎎 Wonderful Japan

In one of the last posts we went out to the countryside to help a little with the rice planting. Rice is an indispensable part of everyday life in Japan, and there is no more important food here in the country. Even though rice consumption may be declining among some parts of the Japanese population, rice still determines the annual rhythm of many people in the rural areas. They alternate between planting and harvesting, and in between they regularly have to take care of their rice fields and keep them well watered. In our region, too, the importance of the rice plant can't be ignored; if you drive across the country, you'll find seemingly endless rice fields everywhere, which quickly make it clear where the priorities are.

Today I would like to share with you a few impressions, which I came across during helping out with the planting. These pictures also help me to keep my memories fresh and alive.

As mentioned before, fortunately nowadays there are machines that do the bulk of the work and take the load off people. These slowly but unstoppably dig through the mud of the fields, tirelessly planting small seedlings in the soft soil. Thanks to mechanized agriculture, farmers in many countries have been able to increase their crop yields, which has also ensured that parts of the population have now been able to turn to other activities that will hopefully bring their country even further ahead. Where once a whole armada of busy hands was needed, today a few people are enough to do the same work in less time.

As as I just said, the rice fields must be kept constantly under water, especially at the beginning. There are all sorts of irrigation options for this, and everywhere zou can now see fresh clear water flowing from wells or pipes, which depending on the region, can give the rice its own unique flavor. The clearer and cleaner the water, the better and more popular then the rice.

The view over the rice fields, which at first look like lakes is extremely charming and I like to linger and relax here for a while. The view changes quickly, as the rice grows rapidly in height and quickly you have a green field swaying along in the wind in front of you. The summer will then color the field slightly golden, and then it is already time for the big harvest in early September. A year does not wait, and there is always something to do in the country.

I am glad to be in this part of the world and I really appreciated all the many experiences I have had here. Hopefully there will be some more to come soon...

ありがとうございました！　Arigatou Gozaimashita!