Sado - Iwakubi Ricefields
Gepubliseer: 27.05.2023
The next morning, we gather at the entrance gate at 8:00 AM to go to the rice terraces. For me, it wasn't a problem to wake up so early since I still couldn't really sleep due to the jet lag. Besides me, there are two other participants in the temple, both speaking German and coming from Germany and Switzerland. The drive takes about an hour, and we meet the people from the company who take care of some of the rice fields at the bottom of the mountain. There's also a reporter with a camera crew from television who want to document the day.
After a brief introduction, we drive up the mountain and enjoy the view. Unfortunately, due to the weather, we can't see very far, and the sea disappears into the mist, but it's still a wonderful sight. In Sado, this place used to be a major tourist attraction, but today, besides the rice farmers and us, there's no one there. Only a few people come here for vacation nowadays.
We get back in the car and head to the rice field that we will be planting today. Although everyone has rubber boots on, and there are some for us as well, the mud is too deep, and they would fill up with water. So, I guess we'll have to go barefoot. The other helpers say it's actually better that way, but I still have my doubts.We're explained how to plant the small rice seedlings into the ground, and meanwhile, one of the helpers rolls a hexagonal grid roller over the field, creating a pattern in the soil. The rice plants are then planted at the intersections of the grid pattern. Three seedlings at a time, with the mud up to the first joint of the finger.I'm standing at the edge, so I have to go in first. Great.For a moment, I struggle with balance since you can't see the ground, but the mud stabilizes you quite well.At the beginning, it's very cold, but after a few minutes, you don't feel anything anymore.For about an hour, we plant the little sprouts into the ground, and the camera team keeps asking us what we think. After we finish with the field, we wash our hands and feet in the water channel next to the field.For lunch, we go back to the viewpoint, and after that, the work for the day is already finished.Since we have plenty of time, we stop by a few local shops, like a donut shop run by an elderly man and a chocolate shop with homemade chocolate made from cocoa from different countries. There, we have a hot chocolate and make our way back to Kononji Temple
After a brief introduction, we drive up the mountain and enjoy the view. Unfortunately, due to the weather, we can't see very far, and the sea disappears into the mist, but it's still a wonderful sight. In Sado, this place used to be a major tourist attraction, but today, besides the rice farmers and us, there's no one there. Only a few people come here for vacation nowadays.
We get back in the car and head to the rice field that we will be planting today. Although everyone has rubber boots on, and there are some for us as well, the mud is too deep, and they would fill up with water. So, I guess we'll have to go barefoot. The other helpers say it's actually better that way, but I still have my doubts.We're explained how to plant the small rice seedlings into the ground, and meanwhile, one of the helpers rolls a hexagonal grid roller over the field, creating a pattern in the soil. The rice plants are then planted at the intersections of the grid pattern. Three seedlings at a time, with the mud up to the first joint of the finger.I'm standing at the edge, so I have to go in first. Great.For a moment, I struggle with balance since you can't see the ground, but the mud stabilizes you quite well.At the beginning, it's very cold, but after a few minutes, you don't feel anything anymore.For about an hour, we plant the little sprouts into the ground, and the camera team keeps asking us what we think. After we finish with the field, we wash our hands and feet in the water channel next to the field.For lunch, we go back to the viewpoint, and after that, the work for the day is already finished.Since we have plenty of time, we stop by a few local shops, like a donut shop run by an elderly man and a chocolate shop with homemade chocolate made from cocoa from different countries. There, we have a hot chocolate and make our way back to Kononji Temple
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