Mud and Rice

So, as you may have noticed, the number of blog posts that have been published per month is diminishing. When I first arrived in Japan, I wanted to write about anything and everything. I didn’t have many friends in this country, and sitting at home with nothing to do was more the norm than the exception. When winter and reality both hit, I came to the realization that I had other things to do.

While I’ve been pretty consistent with releasing one blog post per month, I still sometimes find it difficult to come up with what I want to write about. I know that anything I write has the potential to be of interest to someone out there on the web, but I’m also a part of my blog. I'm aware that I didn't invent the wheel. There are loads of Japan-bloggers out there that do a way better job than I do summing up their lives in and the culture of Japan, but the purpose of my blog isn't to gain fame or a bunch of readers. The purpose of the blog is for me and my loved ones back home. That is to say, I would like have interest in what I’m writing about, and up until recently, I just haven't been feeling it.

Sweetie, Mommy's tired.

However, using writer's block as an excuse can only get one so far. Eventually, one must bear with it: barbacoa taco style. It has been way too long since my last post, and I can only keep my readers in the dark for so long. So, what have I been up to over the last few months?

This past May, I participated in an event that was held in a yet-to-be cultivated rice field. Every year, farmers in Japan flood their paddies to begin the process of growing rice. What better way to help till the soil for planting than to get a bunch of crazy expats to host a dodgeball tournament in the mud?

The first rule of mud dodgeball is...

... You DO NOT pick Jimmy Darden early just because he's a guy...

...as he will have trouble maintaining balance, and once the game starts...

...he'll just stand around...

... without...

... the slightest...

...clue.

Of the seven games I played, I lost each time. If that's not the perfect example of 'the losing factor,' then I don't know what is. I caught one ball over the entire course of the event, and I mostly stood there without having any idea as to what was going on around me. As the tournament progressed, I became more and more afraid of the ball, and my body got colder and colder. Despite my miserable body condition, I still managed to have a ton of fun. The event even made the local newspaper-

Without a clue...

Everyone after the tournament

He had a mud stayne on his fayce...

This spring, I also had the privilege of going to 茅野市 to plant rice. Nozawa Sensei invited me to visit his family home one Saturday morning to work out in the fields. His father is a farmer and owns a few rice paddies around town. For those of you who know me, field labor is not my jam; I'm more of an 'inside dog' when it comes to work. I only tolerate the great outdoors when it benefits me: amusement parks, camping, barbecues, festivals, swimming- you get the picture.

Sweating the day away in the hot sun doing agricultural work is not my idea of a great time, but since it was Nozawa Sensei, I made an exception. Besides, it would get me cool points with all of my hashtag trendy friends: "Oh, Jimmy. How lovely. You had the chance to work out in the rice field while you lived in Japan? Putting in a days worth of hard labor is good for the soul. Why, on our vacation to New England, Dave and I spent the whole day picking strawberries to make a detox smoothie, and you should've seen the pictures we took of Tegan. They were absolutely adorable..."

It was nice meeting you, Kendall.

"...Everything about it was organic and Whole Foods worthy. Our commitments to the environment and the grassroots food industry were fulfilled, and we felt earthy in every sense of the word..." 

working on a rice field : Asia-dwelling expats : : picking one's own fruit : white people

It seems as though every non-Japanese person I've met here either 

a) has worked on a rice field for a day, or...

b) has not worked on a rice field for a day but wants to

I can't make a sweeping generalization and say everyone fits the aforementioned descriptors, but I have yet to meet someone here who doesn't. Perhaps there is an expat among us who has never done it, and is adamant about keeping it that way. If that's the case, leave a comment at the bottom of the post. I've been wrong before.

When I got to Mr. Nozawa's house, I was told to remove my regular shoes and change into a pair of his fishing boots. We loaded up in the bed of the Kei-truck, and drove the kilometer or so out into the sticks towards the fields. For the first few minutes, I stood and watched Nozawa Sensei's father drive what can only be described as a rice planting tractor. I thought the day would be similar to the mud dodgeball tournament: a day where everyone seems to be on their A-game, and I just seem to be in the way. Wrong. Soon after, he asked me if I wanted to partake. 

"I don't know how," I murmured in my best Japanese.

"Of course you don't. I'll show you." 

I was given a crash course in people-my-father's-age Japanese on how to operate the rice planting tractor, which from this point to the end of the post will be referred to as 'The Thing.' It was almost too much to keep up with.

- Make sure you drive straight.

- Line it up this way.

- This is how you turn around...

- Always keep a certain amount of sprouts loaded and ready to go.

- If you hear this noise, stop driving The Thing at once.

- Don't go too slow.

- Don't go too fast.  

- You got this, Jimmy-san.

Indeed I did. After only a few minutes of driving The Thing with Mr. Nozawa by my side, he let me take the reins alone. I planted a few rows of rice, and then was crowned with his rice paddy hat. "Now you look like a real rice farmer, Jimmy-san." I navigated The Thing to the edge of the field and parked it to plant the remaining sprouts by hand- the old fashioned way. With everyone working, it took less than two hours from start to finish. I felt accomplished, but was glad to hear we were done for the day.

Mr. Nozawa shows me how to drive the thing...

"Okay, Jimmy-san. Drive the thing on your own..."

Look at me- Driving The Thing and wearing one of dem' hats...

Planting by hand at the edges of the field where The Thing couldn't reach

The finished product- minus, you know, the actual mature rice plant part

2000 calorie celebratory meal... お疲れ様でした.

Working on Mr. Nozawa's paddy gave me a glimpse into local farming; with this experience, I had the chance to learn about something that I normally wouldn't think about. I received two loyalty points on my bourgeois membership card, and more importantly, I spent time with one of my good friends and his family. As the summer season drew near, I reminded myself to stay ready for the next adventure...