Farming and Hiking
A few photos from two weeks ago with our visitors from Hawaii. Activities included lots of walking and photo-ops at temples and shrines, gathering wild veggies for dinner, planting rice, gathering mulberry leaves for the babies. While we were visiting the preserved thatch-roof house in Akiyamago, we happened to meet the old woman who was born and raised there. She now lives in a more modern house in the village.
June first is also the day that Mt. Naeba is officially opened. We joined the ceremony and the lunch party afterward, as well as made an attempt to climb it. This was the first time in their lives to see so much snow, and walking was slippery even with the crampons, so we made the decision to turn back for safeties sake, but not before enjoying the breathtaking sunset views of Akiyamago.
Comments
I thought you might be interested in this research on rice farming article in today's New York Times.
Food Revolution That Starts With Rice
SCIENTIST AT WORK | NORMAN T. UPHOFF
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/17/science/17rice.html?_r=1&th=&oref=slogin&emc=th&pagewanted=all
Enjoy your blog, would love to take one of your tours. Love & miss Japan.
Christine in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
Posted by: Christine Cassidy | June 18, 2008 02:00 AM
Thanks Christine. It is really interesting. Actually, we were going to try something like that ourselves, as there are some old fields that don't hold water well nearby. We planned to just plant some of the rice-sprouts we made ourselves there and do it dry (which people do in Japan in some places). We never got around to it thoug for lack of time. Next year we will try again though.
Posted by: kein | June 18, 2008 08:48 AM
Dear Bastish,
Thank you so much for your beautiful and heartwarming pictures.
I have never been to your area, having lived in US now for a couple of decades, however, I recently have read “Hokuetsu Seppu” by Mr. Suzuki Bokushi written around 1850.
The book describes how the life was in Uonuma-gun area, and your photos and the stories gave me more visual connection to somewhat old Japan described in the book, which obviously was lost from other parts in Japan.
I hope you and your families’ lives there will be richer and more fullfiling.
Posted by: kt | July 9, 2008 05:32 AM