Rice is planted around this time and harvested in October. Ryoko-san said that they like to plant their own rice later because it tastes better. They grow enough for themselves and their guests to eat. If there’s any extra, they’ll sell it locally. One rice stalk is the equivalent of one bowl of rice. I find this whole process fascinating. From tilling the soil, flooding the paddy, loading the rice shoots into the planter, and planting them in neat little rows. It gave me great pleasure driving through the Miyazaki countryside watching people at various phases of their rice planting. I would have loved to be involved with this process to learn more considering I basically eat rice for at least one meal every day.
Their farm dog Chyangu’s job is to scare off the wild boar. He’s also supposed to scare off the monkeys but he’s afraid of them because they watch him from high up in the trees. When it’s close to rice harvest time, the monkeys know to come down and steal rice to eat. Their neighbors are actually putting up electric fences this year to deal with the monkey problem.
We also had the chance before we left for the airport to feed their 40 chickens. I thought they just open a bag of chicken feed and toss it in the coop but Ryoko-san walked us through the process. They purchase a box of discarded fish heads, leftover from making fish stock. She mixes that with fermented rice bran which was warm to the touch. A few scoops of dry broken rice and broken oyster shells for calcium. No WONDER Japanese eggs are so tasty. She opened up the laying box and there were at least a dozen eggs in there. She said they get about 25 eggs a day from the chickens.
I feel incredibly blessed that this kind and generous family opened their home and share their slice of life with us. We had such a wonderful time in quiet Miyazaki prefecture. I would encourage anyone who comes to Japan to of course visit Tokyo and Kyoto but to come check out one of the rural towns too.
The journey back to Tokyo was relatively quick. Got back around 3pm and I sprung into action putting together a google maps of all the shops we need to visit in the next 2.5 days to maximize our time before we head home to buy all the skincare, home goods, souvenirs, and snacks to bring home.
First I wanted to hit up one of my favorite restaurants, Yakitori Marukin. My sister’s friends introduced it to us our first time in Tokyo in 2015. The category of restaurant is called a “Nomihodai” (飲み放題) which is a Japanese term meaning drink as much as you like. At this restaurant they have plum wine, sake, wine, beer, and Japanese whiskey for $4.50 AN HOUR. We elected for 1 hour and had probably 4 drinks within 45 minutes….I don’t remember. The food isn’t the best but that’s not what you’re there for. They do have this delicious sticky garlicy soy sauce that comes in a clay pot that you dip your skewers in.
We were only in Shinjuku for an hour and I was ready to head back to Miyazaki with how many people were crammed into a small space. There were a few sakura trees starting to bloom which was nice. Joanna wanted to visit the largest gachapon shops in Tokyo starting with this one with 3000 machines. With so many things to check off the list, I feel like 2 full days isn’t going to be enough…
What a beautiful life the farming couple made for themselves. It can be monotonous and isolating after the initial charm wears off so it’s especially cool that they have their social life sorted.
As someone who grew up seeing rice fields a lot, it was amusing that what’s boring to one is interesting to another.
Do Japanese people collect gachapon? Or are they more souvenirs/gifts?