It is late September just outside Nagaoka City, on the western side of Japan, near Niigata. The rice field, or tambo with short grain Koshihikari rice is a beautiful golden yellow color, the day is hot, with no breeze, and the sun is baking down on us. I am dressed in a polo shirt, jeans, and my feet are in rubber boots. My hands are encased in a thick cotton glove, and in my right hand is a very sharp, short bladed sickle. I am about to embark on an experience rich in Japan culture. I will be harvesting one of the most important foods in Japan. Japan travel guides do not mention this activity. Put this on your "things to do in Japan" list.
Our bus driver, a part-time rice farmer, is giving us a quick lesson as to how to cut the rice stalks, and how to tie the stalks of rice together so they can be hung up to dry. I bend down to make my first cut at the rice stalks. “A little lower” he tells me, I comply, cutting about 2-3 inches from the bottom of the rice stalk. Wow, the sickle is sharp! With only a little effort the stalks are cut. I get my rhythm and begin cutting the rice plants, putting them together in piles so they can be tied later. Within a few minutes I am wiping the perspiration from my forehead and can feel myself sweating. “Well, let’s try tying the rice stalks together” I tell my wife. Tying is done by taking a bunch of rice stalks and using another rice stalk as a twine to tie the other stalks together about 8-10 inches from the bottom part of the stalks. Our driver flips the bundle of rice stalks to tighten the tie, and separates the bundle into two and hangs the bundle neatly on a bamboo rack in the field. Our bundles are not as tight and not as neatly done as our driver’s bundles. I gather some bundles and take them to the drying rack, where they will be dried so that the rice grains can be easily removed from the stalk.
After the harvest we get together with some of the residents of the village and have lunch together. This interchange gives us an opportunity for cultural exchange. This experience was provided to us while we were on a Japan tour arranged by Marukai Hawaii Tours. We thank Jo Matsu and the rest of the Marukai gang for a great tour. This is a Travel Japan recommended activity.
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