Rice Harvesting Season

Golden rice paddies and rice harvesting is distinctive autumn scenery in Uonuma. From the mid-September to early October, farmers work busily to harvest their rice, completing one rice paddies after another. The golden landscape is gradually turned to right brown.

Most farmers today use special machines called "combine" to reap and thresh rice immediately and dry rice with a special drying machine in a few hours. This is the typical harvesting scene.

a combine harvester doesn't need lots of human power

Jiyujin's staff, however, do not use such machines. We've been working with farmers and trying farming in a more traditional and natural way. We reap rice with old-fashioned machines called "binder," which are used to reap rice and make sheaves at one time, and hung the sheaves under the sun.

a binder needs much energy compared to a combine

Like car driving, "combines" doesn't need much human power. "Binders," on the other hand, should be carried and operated by hand. Operating binders looks easy and efficient compared to reaping and bundling rice by hand, but the operation in reality requires much energy and is as tough as hand work for us young girls!!

To be continued...