Harvesting Rice

The farmers around Hario are very busy harvesting their rice most of the fields there is nothing but dirt but others have their rice hanging to dry, I love the farming here as I grew up on a farm it is neat to see a crop I'm not familiar with go from seed to Rice.One of the great things about Fall, other than the cool weather and falling leaves, is that it is rice harvest season. If you live in a rural area you might have seen this harvesting firsthand. Harvest time is a really exciting time. After a year of waiting, we can finally eat shinmai again!

Shinmai (新米 [しんまい]) quite literally means “new rice”. The Japanese harvest their rice in September and October, and a portion of that rice is sent to market right away. There’s something really special about shinmai. It’s soft, smells wonderful and has a hint of sweetness (after you cook it that is). It really is a step above “regular” rice. In the countryside it is quite common to receive new rice as a gift from your neighbors.


The role rice plays in national culture varies dramatically depending on where you are. Most Americans, for example, view rice as just another commodity available on supermarket shelves. But in Japan, o-kome, or "honorable rice," is much more than a commodity. In the Shinto religion, sake, rice cakes, and other rice products are the most sacred of offerings, and to a nation that must import most of its meat, fish, and fruit, rice is a symbol of independence. Indeed, as a matter of tradition, the Japanese government strictly prohibits the import of rice as long as local crops provide harvests bountiful enough to satisfy the national appetite




Rice being hung out in the sun to dry.