Comments on: Rice harvest http://www.adekun.com/blog/rice-harvest Enjoying the sights, sounds and smells of first-time parenthood. Progress on the organic vegetable garden and other ramblings of a gaijin in Japan's least populous prefecture. Sat, 10 Jan 2009 01:54:52 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 hourly 1 By: adekun http://www.adekun.com/blog/rice-harvest/comment-page-1#comment-743 adekun Mon, 29 Sep 2008 10:30:31 +0000 http://www.adekun.com/?p=639#comment-743 Out here at least it is fairly rural (despite being a city) and a good majority of families have a rice field. A big co-operative/corporation owns a lot of land and doesn't readily release it for development. It's kind of funny, there's often a rice field sandwiched between apartment buildings or something similar. Out here at least it is fairly rural (despite being a city) and a good majority of families have a rice field. A big co-operative/corporation owns a lot of land and doesn’t readily release it for development. It’s kind of funny, there’s often a rice field sandwiched between apartment buildings or something similar.

]]> By: kevin http://www.adekun.com/blog/rice-harvest/comment-page-1#comment-742 kevin Mon, 29 Sep 2008 00:18:59 +0000 http://www.adekun.com/?p=639#comment-742 Traditional methods are fun and also give a sense of accomplishment - if you have the time to complete the field :) With the size of the field you were working on, I think you are glad to have the combine. However, even though it is faster with the combine, with smaller field, it can be more economical to do it by hand than to pay for the machines. Around here, some people use big combines like the one in your photo, which does everything at once (harvest, dry, bag) and also grinds up the straw to leave it as mulch for the next year. They also use a smaller hand pushed "binder" which harvest and ties the rice into bundles still on the straw. They then hang the rice to dry. This is nice because after wards you still have the straw - which was *really* valuable in the old days and used for lots of things. Now people don't use it so much, but they can sell it to the cow farmer. We harvested our fields by hand taking two of us four days. We are happy to have the straw though as we have quite a few ways to use it next year. Now we just have to find someplace to store it. Traditional methods are fun and also give a sense of accomplishment - if you have the time to complete the field :) With the size of the field you were working on, I think you are glad to have the combine. However, even though it is faster with the combine, with smaller field, it can be more economical to do it by hand than to pay for the machines.

Around here, some people use big combines like the one in your photo, which does everything at once (harvest, dry, bag) and also grinds up the straw to leave it as mulch for the next year. They also use a smaller hand pushed “binder” which harvest and ties the rice into bundles still on the straw. They then hang the rice to dry. This is nice because after wards you still have the straw - which was *really* valuable in the old days and used for lots of things. Now people don’t use it so much, but they can sell it to the cow farmer.

We harvested our fields by hand taking two of us four days. We are happy to have the straw though as we have quite a few ways to use it next year. Now we just have to find someplace to store it.

]]> By: TopVeg http://www.adekun.com/blog/rice-harvest/comment-page-1#comment-740 TopVeg Sun, 28 Sep 2008 07:55:59 +0000 http://www.adekun.com/?p=639#comment-740 I always imagined that rice growing land must be scarce in Japan. Do most families have some land for their own rice production? I always imagined that rice growing land must be scarce in Japan. Do most families have some land for their own rice production?

]]> By: Chris http://www.adekun.com/blog/rice-harvest/comment-page-1#comment-739 Chris Sun, 28 Sep 2008 04:47:07 +0000 http://www.adekun.com/?p=639#comment-739 Traditional methods are fun to learn but most likely arduous in nature. That's why the machines are there =D make life much easier. Traditional methods are fun to learn but most likely arduous in nature. That’s why the machines are there =D make life much easier.

]]> By: Cookware Sets http://www.adekun.com/blog/rice-harvest/comment-page-1#comment-734 Cookware Sets Fri, 26 Sep 2008 04:56:05 +0000 http://www.adekun.com/?p=639#comment-734 What are the advantages of using the old methods of harvesting versus the new? I can understand the amount of time saved in the process, but is it better on the land to use the old methods? Are there still plenty of people who know how to do this and would be willing to do this? What are the advantages of using the old methods of harvesting versus the new? I can understand the amount of time saved in the process, but is it better on the land to use the old methods? Are there still plenty of people who know how to do this and would be willing to do this?

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