My Experience as a Rice Farmer

5 days ago

The author spent January-July in Japan helping on a family rice farm near Shuzenji, Shizuoka, sharing insights despite missing some harvest stages.
Farm activities included rice farming, bamboo forest management, and growing various vegetables like potatoes, pumpkins, and carrots.
Preparation involved clearing dead rice plants with strimmers, digging drainage ditches, ploughing, leveling fields, and setting up water channels.
Fields were flooded using river water redirected via pipes and channels, with levelling done via tractor to ensure consistent rice planting.
Planting used a Rice Transplanter for most work, supplemented by manual planting in gaps, followed by electric fence installation to protect against wildlife.
After planting, fields were drained when rice reached waist height, though the author left before harvest, missing the final stages.
Wildlife encounters included frogs, salamanders, snakes (some venomous), black kites, and threats from wild boars damaging crops.
Rice farming in Japan faces challenges: aging farmers (average age 70), part-time work due to low income, Gentan system limiting scale, fixed pricing, and small farm sizes hindering automation.
Economic issues include rice price crises, youth migration to cities, and the unviability of full-time farming, risking the decline of small independent farms.
Despite challenges, the experience was positive, offering connection to nature, family bonding, and cultural immersion, contrasting with corporate work.

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