Oyama sen mayda or "1000 Rice Fields" is famed to be one of the most beautiful regions of Japan. The many, many levels of terracing or tanbo is not typically seen in Japan anymore because it is difficult to maneuver machinery on the terraces, so all of the planting must be done by hand here. It is somewhat of a cultural center with an educational building at the top of the hill where school children learn about traditional rice planting. We stopped here for a picnic lunch on our tour around the town of Kamogawa.
Lucky for me - April is planting season! So when I arrived, the rice fields had just been flooded and over the weekend, many farmers began the process of planting, so I am able to see the the full process. On our drive back from Tokyo, we came across a small family of three generations in the midst of planting a field.
A father sits atop a tractor with his son, teaching him how to plant the tiny seedlings stacked up on the back in perfect little rows as they move.
Grandmother follows behind, hoe in hand, smoothing out the ruts the tractor has made in the mud.Dr. G again insisted that I pose for a picutre with the grandmother, and this time, I overcame my embarrassment. She showed me how to use the hoe, and I attempted to repeat her motions and smooth out a few ruts myself. My first stroke was shallow and clumsy. On my second stroke, I went too deep and the hoe got stuck - it was heavy! The woman laughed, but let me continue for a little while longer. After handing back over the hoe, she gracefully allowed us to photograph her and her family until the sun fully set behind the hills.
Newly planted rice seedlings I came across on my walk this afternoon.
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