The foreign media almost always depicts Japan as some kind of hi-tech wonderland, continually touting its toilets that deal with way more than waste, along with robots to tackle whatever said toilets can’t do.
But scratch just a fraction below the surface, and tradition is often far more to the fore than technology. Then dig a little deeper, quite literally, and at this time of year nothing seems to have changed since the centre of the metropolis itself was all fields, let alone what are now just its western outreaches.
The seemingly unnecessary donning of a hard hat the only discernible nod to modernity. Well, that and the wellingtons.
Willy says
Good pics. As always.
I was in Fukushima which evidently has the best rice in Japan. We had it just harvested and dried from our next-door neighbour, as onigiri with umeboshi… and that still remains as one fantastical culinary memory that is impossible to forget.
The fragrance of the new-season rice… makes you cry.
Lee says
Thanks Willy!
Wow, that must have been quite a treat. No such luck here unfortunately, those fields are quite a ride away by bicycle…
c says
whats the hard hat for? where i live, everyone wears normal baseball hats……maybe its a kansai and kanto thing?
Lee says
Nah, I think it’s just an individual thing. Maybe even new farming fashion!
MrSatyre says
Clearly the hard hat is for a sudden rainstorm of frogs. Smart.
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/discoblog/2009/06/17/it%E2%80%99s-raining-tadpoles-fish-frogs-shower-japanese-residents/
Lee says
Ah, prepared for all possibilities. A very smart man indeed.
Thomas Gantz says
I am also wondering what the hardhat is for. Is he expecting a sudden meteor shower?
Lee says
Maybe. Or frogs. Or he simply really likes hard hats!
tornadoes28 says
Wow. Planting rice by hand. Why would he want to do that?
Lee says
I know. It was fascinating to watch, but it looked a very laborious process to say the least…
Rex Dgrey says
Rice planting the traditional way, same way here in my country. but I seem to notice the hard hat, kind of impractical for the occasion don’t you think?
MisterPopo says
Great Pics Lee … as always
Nothing beat the traditional way of farming, but i’m sure he did not plow it manually with a hoe, with a tractor perhaps? in my country we do still use some buffalo or cow to help plow the field
Lee says
Thank you!
Yeah, I would imagine so. The other farmers nearby have little tractors and other machinery, so I’m pretty sure he does too. But why he opted to plant the rice by hand I don’t know.