Early and mid-September is the time of harvest here in Ogi. Terraced paddies are covered with a wavy golden blanket of rice, and hills and valleys are filled with the hustle-bustle of the farmers.
Harvest-ready plants are now bowed down with nearly a hundred of grains fully ripen on their heads. A closer look shows how this Japanese staple food is prolific; a mere two or three seedlings grow into a bunch of fifteen or twenty stalks and bear about 1,500 grains!!
Through some more processes such as drying, threshing and milling, this year’s newly harvested rice is going to be in circulation soon.
Golden rice fields and farmers working busy in them is a very common sight in Japan this season. It does not just signal the approach of the autumn, but also give the Japanese a vivid feeling of the season and evoke an appreciation for the blessing of nature. Being cultivated and fertilised in mid-autumn, empty paddies in Ogi will be ready for the quiet, snow-laden winter.
