Monday, May 07, 2007

Rice Planting

I have a reoccuring dilemma when my Japanese friends ask me what America is like. America. Well, America is so large and I've only lived in a couple places. I can only answer what Los Angeles is like, or how people in Los Angles do things. In the same way, I see things in Japan that I think are different, but for all I know, in someplaces in Europe or elsewhere, they may do things the same way. Anyway, I post pictures and give opinions about things that are interesting to me though I don't know about anyone else. Today I'm showing pictures of rice planting and I've surely never seen it done this way in California!

As previously mentioned, rice planting was carried out over Golden Week in this part of Japan and almost all the rice fields have been planted. On one of my walks with Choco I took the camera with me and got some pictures of the process. (Took them slightly on the sly because the farmers seemed too busy for me to ask them to "pose".)

The rice shoots are brought out from the farmers' green houses where the sprouts have been nurtured and they are laid out along the banks in little mats ready to be fed into the planting tractor. Horrors! Choco stepped in one while I was taking a picture, but the sprouts sprung back unhurt. I think the mats are spread along the banks so that the tractor can pick up new ones on their return trip across the fields.

On either side of the tractor the mats are set up within easy reach and the farmer slides them into the back rack where some part of the machine pulls off a couple shoots and plops them at regular intervals in the flooded field. Up and down the tractor goes planting the shoots in straight lines until the whole field resembles a light green lawn that's been overwatered. In a couple of weeks you won't even be able to see the water!

At the turns in the field, and right next to the banks, it looks like the tractor can't get in that close so often the farmer's wife or children will be hand planting the shoots. I remember when my kids were in elementary school there was a day when they had a chance to plant a nearby rice field by hand. They took rain boots and waded in the field (and fell in, and got very muddy!) and when autumn came the rice was used in the school lunch (one or two meals) and each child got to take a small bag of rice home.


This really did start out being a patchwork and quilting blog. I thought I was just going to keep track of what I was making, but look at where I've ended up. A commentary on Japanese life! Well, I suppose that is interesting sometimes. I'll just have to be more productive in my sewing!

13 comments:

Prairie Princess said...

I'm glad I found your blog and I'm glad you're posting things like today's post. I find information like this fascinating.

Connie said...

Until reading your blog posts about Japanese life I had very little knowledge of the culture. I am enjoying reading about your life there and also about life in general in Japan. Please continue to share with us!

Patti said...

Your stories about Japanese life are always fascinating! It's like having a window into another world - different in so many ways but alike in so many others. We love hearing about your stitching but we love this also.

anne bebbington said...

Tanya it's wonderful to read about your quilting progress but equally fascinating to hear about the environment you live in and it's customs - blogging with people across the world is very enlightening :o)

Jane Weston said...

I love hearing about your life in Japan...so different from anything I've experienced.
I know what you mean about being asked about life in North America. I get lots of questions about Canada, but it's vastly different from coast to coast and I can only really comment on Quebec and Ontario. Everyone seems to think that Canada is the Rockies and seem surprised when I explain that Montreal or Toronto is busy and smoggy as London!

Fiona said...

Who says a blog has to be about just one thing? I would be most upset if you stopped giving us little insights into the Japanese way of life!

Nancy said...

As much as I love quilting and am interested in what others are doing, blogs that are exclusively about quilting get boring. I much prefer learning more about the whole person, and what her life is like -- her interests, her surroundings, her hopes and dreams, her dilemmas and struggles. Please, please continue to share Japan -- it is surely the only way I will come to know this country!

Patricia said...

Please go on with your stories about Japanese life. Currently I'm living in France and see the differences to my home country Germany. I love to hear how other folks live.

Laurie Ann said...

I love hearing about Japanese life! I might have to have rice for dinner. Hmmm..

teodo said...

With you I learned a lot of Japanese habits and this is beautiful.

Thanks.

It would be very nice to see all the carps flying in the sky.
ciao ciao

Chookyblue said...

hyNo chance of planting rice around here. How interesting. Thanks for sharing your pics........

VERO said...

Taniwa !! very happy to see your photos and hear about japanese living . Hugs , Vero

Rose Marie said...

Don't stop now ... you have a fascinating blog and all the more so by posting about a life that I probably will never see. Keep sharing these interesting stories as well as anything that you just might happen to stitch!