Somleuthay PHALIKHANH
Graduate School of Asia-Pacific Studies
(photo by author)
One of the reasons I decided to participate in the ICC Rice Harvesting Program at Tokorozawa Campus on October 1, 2022, is despite being a Southeast Asian woman who consumes rice in mostly every meal, I had zero hands-on experience in how rice is harvested and processed. So, I thought to myself, since I didn’t have an opportunity to immerse myself in the harvesting practices at home, why not try it in Japan instead? I would be able to feel at home in a foreign land too anyway.
And my assumptions were right: the program indeed ticked all the boxes, if not even more.
Prior to the actual activity, participants were guided through rice harvesting methods and the correct way to use the gear via PowerPoint presentation in a classroom. What stuck with me the most would be how we were informed of the importance and value of the existing plants, insects, and tiny animals that make themselves at home around the rice paddies – making it a tiny and thriving ecosystem of its own. My personal takeaway from the PPT would be, nature is built to coexist, and that the existence or the lack thereof would bring about a domino effect to the whole system. And then the rice harvesting introductory session immediately turned into Life Philosophy 101 in my mind.
After that, we headed toward the rice fields, picked up our gear, and were split into two alternating groups, between cutting and bundling harvested rice stalks for drying. The experience of dragging your somehow 10 times heavier legs through mud, being stuck knee-deep for at least a good 1-3 minutes while fighting with gravity to not face-plant, and then dropping a new and completely white towel into the soaked paddy was truly the highlight. But hey, kudos to myself for managing to cut quite a few bundles (check out the empty paddy in the photo). It was a well-spent day where I didn’t need to go to the gym for at least a month or two (not like I ever did or do though).
(photo by author)
To cap the day off, I decided to stay with many participants and ICC staff for the additional walk to the nearby Sayama Hills, where there were several traces of Totoro. It was relaxing, and we had a quick lunch that we brought with everyone on top of the hill.
To sum it up, individual experiences and takeaways vary but the ICC hands-on events (for example this) are a must. I can guarantee you since I’ve joined quite a few now. Give yourself a space to relax aside from crunching the heavy studies at school and getting to know someone new is not as scary as you think 🙂
(photo by Waseda University Natural Environmental Research Laboratory)
