Grow it up, chop it down

It still boggles my mind that we moved to Japan over a year ago!  Although it has felt like eternity, it has also flown by.  At this time, we are started to think about various activities we have done this past year.  Do we repeat favorite activities, or do we seek out new adventures.  It is always a question.  I firmly believe that if you are bored in Tokyo it is your own fault.  There is ALWAYS something to do.

Today was the first time we attended the same annual event.  Throughout this past year, we have participated in the various aspects of growing rice on top of a building in Roppongi Hills.  We helped to plant, harvest, and make mochi with grown on the rooftop.  When my husband asked if we wanted to go to the harvest again, we debated the pros and cons of the event.  Since the only con was that we had already done it once, we decided to go again.  Our son really enjoyed tying the rice and thrashing it.  He didn't get to cut any last year due to the rain from the previous night.  What finally ended the debate was the knowledge that we would be harvesting the rice we helped to plant in the spring.  I love it when things come full circle.

Unfortunately, it rained today.  I thought they would cancel the entire event.  Instead they handed out ponchos to attendees and proceeded as planned. 

My son spend a lot of time catching and playing with frogs from the rice field.  He loves nature and playing with little creatures is part of that adoration. 

Although it was raining off and on, the coordinators allowed the kids to cut a small amount of rice from the bank of the rice field.  He patiently waited his turn to use the knife to hack at the long grass.  Once through, a little victorious "ah, ha!" escaped from his lips.  Then he proudly showed us the fruits of his labor.  He proceeded to repeat the same actions as last year - bundling the rice, hanging it to dry, and thrashing previously dried rice.

Even though we have enjoyed being in this garden several time, I had never noticed what type of tree was growing in the center of the garden.  It turns out there is a large persimmon tree there.  Persimmons, or kaki (ka-key), are a very popular fruit in Japan.  It is a symbol of fall.  Kaki are eaten when firm and dark orange in color.  These were not ready to eat, but still beautiful to look at. 

Each time we participate in one of these rice events, I think about how important rice is to Japanese culture.  My husband would happily eat rice three times a day and never tire of it.  I don't have that kind of dedication to any food.  There is a lot of food I would love to eat regularly (cheese, bread, pickles to name a few), but I wouldn't want them every day for the rest of my life!  I like diversity in my diet.  For carbohydrates, our family rotates between rice, pasta, potatoes, and bread.  When we were in the states, we ate a lot of ancient grains as well like quinoa, farro, and amaranth.  But those are very hard to find here.  It is rice, rice, rice all the time.

We didn't mind repeating a favorite activity from last year.  We added to the experience with additional activities and opened our eyes a bit further to see additional beauty in our surroundings.  And, most importantly, my son had a great time with both the frogs and the rice.