YAZAKI: Past, present, future. We are connected.

October 10, 2015

Yazaki Centennial “Shochu” Project session 2: Rice harvesting

Harvesting magnificently ripened rice with local children

The second volunteer activity of the Yazaki Centennial “Shochu” Project took place in Saiki City, Oita Prefecture on October 10. The “Hinohikari” rice seedlings that were planted in the Nishino district paddy in mid-June had grown splendidly since then, and now it was time to harvest them to make shochu.

Under the guidance of Arrow Farm Oita and local farmers, seven volunteer members and twelve local fourth, fifth, and sixth graders who were members of their elementary school’s “inventors’ club” harvested the rice together.

Excited to be harvesting rice for the first time, the children moved even faster than the adults and helped get the job of harvesting the entire one-han paddy done before noon. Lunch was a barbecue served on the grounds of Oita Parts, where the local residents, schoolchildren and everyone else involved got better acquainted. In the afternoon, everyone set to work threshing the rice. The entire job was completed in the late afternoon, just as it was getting a little cool. The members’ faces beamed with their sense of accomplishment and exhilaration. The next day, they collected trash on Saiki’s shore in gratitude for the city’s kindness.