Nippon no Arashi - Sakurai (Part 2 of 3)
Here's the next part!
Experiencing tea leaf picking at the naturally farmed tea field
After listening to Kenichi-san’s passionate feelings towards farming, it seemed that Sakurai really wanted to go see Kenichi-san’s tea fields, so they decided to go there straight away. And, all the way along the road behind Kenichi-san’s small truck, they stopped by the grave of Kodono-san, an elderly man who took care of the house that Kenichi-san now lives in. Sakurai stopped to pray there with Kenichi-san. Right in the middle of this burial ground where many of this village’s ancestors sleep, there is a splendid cherry blossom tree. It was a bit too early to see it in full bloom, which occurs near the end of April, but it’s impressive even just imaging it. Seeing the large tree quietly watching over the people of the village had a mystical feeling to it.
They drove for a few more minutes. They arrived at the first tea field that Kenichi-san cultivates. At the edge of the plot, there were some trees that Kenichi-san pointed out, saying, “These trees were all over this field at first.” It turns out those were tea trees. Sakurai was surprised, saying, “You and your father cut down trees this big!?”
Kenichi-san’s tea field, that he practices the natural farming method on, looked completely different than the tea field seen farther away that is managed by someone else. The other field was a dark green, and neatly arranged to make the leaf picking easier, and this one seemed more disorderly. Of course, it’s not saying that one way is better than the other, it’s just that it was very clear to see how different a field under natural farming can look. Sakurai imagined how much Kenichi-san must have struggled with this field. It somehow got him very fired up.
He glanced around and saw that there were pretty mustard flowers blooming on the edges of the field. Kenichi-san said, “If I get hungry while I’m out here working, sometimes I pick and eat them.” And then he suddenly picked up some of the mustard leaves and put them in his mouth. “It’s good.” Sakurai was dumbfounded at that. And then, Kenichi-san said, “Have some, Sakurai-san.” Only half-convinced, he put the mustard leaves in his mouth, and then…”Ah! It’s good!” At that phrase, Kenichi-san then picked mustard leaves for all of the staff there as well.
They got back in the car and drove to another tea field. It was there that they planned to experience harvesting the tea firsthand, but Sakurai was surprised at how large the field was! This tea field was lent to him by an elderly man in the village 2 years ago, and it was 4000 tsubo big! (TN: A tsubo is a traditional unit of measurement, one is about 3.3 square meters). While being overwhelmed by the size of the field, it was finally time to start harvesting the tea leaves.
Kenichi-san and Sakurai stood with a neat row of tea plants between them. They held up a cutting machine from both sides over the plants like an arch. And then, with the loud noise of the motor going, they went slowly from one end of the row to the other, cutting the tea leaves, which went into the attached bag, gradually filling it. Which, is easily explained, but is actually very difficult work. In order to perfectly match up the walking speed, the height of the cutting machine, and the distance between the two, one needs considerable physical stamina to maintain each other’s strength. As soon as they got to the row’s end, it was so strenuous even Sakurai collapsed down onto the ground right there. To imagine doing that work on the entire huge tea field makes one feel faint.
The next step was to shape the tea plants by cutting the sides of the rows to be like a wall. Slowly and carefully. It’s really difficult to cut it slowly, a little at a time, like this than to just quickly cut it. Sakurai was somehow able to return a smile when Kenichi-san yelled, “Sakurai-san, you’re doing great!” but this job is more difficult than it looks. Before realizing it, Sakurai was covered in sweat. Kenichi-san told him, “It looks good.”
After more or less finishing up the cutting work, Kenichi-san’s family was preparing tea for everyone at the edge of the field. They laid out a rush mat, put a low tea table there, and served hot roasted green tea and a tea chiffon cake that the younger sister had made herself. The gentle soft flavor of the roasted tea and the subtle sweetness of the chiffon cake gradually soaked into their bodies and took away all their tiredness from the hard work. Sakurai looked very happy, experiencing the extravagance of being able to drink tea like this.
After relaxing a bit, Kenichi-san said, “I have some people I’d like you to meet” and led them to a house. That beautiful house belonged to Fukui Masaaki-san (87 years-old), the elderly man that was lending the tea field they were in earlier. Fukui-san returned from the war and started cultivating the field, from sowing the seeds, and raised it into such a huge field. And what’s really surprising is that, at the age of 70, he changed over all the fields to the natural, organic farming method. Even Sakurai, who first learned about the natural farming method today, could imagine the unfathomable challenge that must have been.
Fukui: After the war everyone was using pesticide and other chemicals, but I thought about it and it seemed like those would eventually have a big effect on humans too, so I started doing organic farming without disinfectants or fertilizer. My people (family) also felt that way too, so we talked it over and decided to do it.
Sakurai: Everyone in your family also felt that way.
Wife: The family was really just him and me though. We do have these kids come and help us with the cutting/harvesting now.
Kenichi: These two have really worked hard, even on rainy or windy days. And the tea field that resulted from all that long, hard work is the one they’re allowing me to borrow. I have to do whatever I can…
Fukui: We are getting older, and were wondering what we should do going forward when we met him. And so for these 2 or 3 years he’s been helping us out.
Kenichi: I started by carrying those full bags of tea like we did earlier. At the time, Fukui-san was about 82, but he was holding the cutting machine from the side that I did just now, which is quite heavy, and just went along. I could barely keep up, like, “What an amazing guy!” (lol). After cutting it, he brings it to his own processing factory here and starts it right away without sleeping. He was working until the year before last.
Wife: Yes, but last year he became quite ill.
Sakurai: It’s such difficult work after all.
Fukui: Yes~ it’s quite strenuous. It’s a big field. Probably about 150 ares (TN: 1 are is apparently 100 square meters).
Kenichi: Even when we took breaks during the work, he would take out his water bottle and let the young people drink first. That emotional strength and consideration is amazing. That’s what I’ve been looking up to this whole time. Of course, his skills are great too, but it’s the feelings he takes with him to the fields and in making tea that I’ve looked up to.
Seeing the feelings of Fukui-san when he put his fields, that he spent many decades taking such care of, in the hands of the young man Kenichi-san, and the determination of Kenichi-san who accepted them, it made Sakurai feel a little proud. After talking with them a little more, the group got back into the car. Here they parted with Kenichi-san for the time being. They would head out to Kenichi-san’s place again tomorrow, this time to experience processing the tea. Sakurai’s car headed to the center of Nara. Before going to the hotel for the night, there was someone Sakurai wanted to meet with first.
Learning about ‘half farming half X’ in Nara Town
In the center of Nara, there is Nara Town, where many traditional architectural buildings line the streets. Waiting for them at a certain restaurant was Shiomi Naoki-san (44 years-old). He invented the term “Half farming half X,” and supports Japan’s agriculture from a different angle, by proposing different ways to have today’s people see the importance of learning about and engaging with the farms. For the person living in the city, how can they engage with agriculture? Sakurai, who experienced it firsthand at Kenichi’s Natural Plantation, would look for that answer through this discussion.
Shiomi: Kenichi-kun has also been over to my house to visit before. It was maybe 5 years ago. When he was 22. He really surprised me then.
Sakurai: How did you guys know each other?
Shiomi: I had released a book, so I wonder if he came to see me because of that. Kenichi-kun already seemed to realize something even at that young age, and I thought maybe he was born to complete some sort of mission. I saw that the new generation is definitely here. For me, I don’t have much time anymore, so I’d like for the young kids like Kenichi-kun to keep moving forward.
Sakurai: You don’t have time?
Shiomi: For instance, the climate has been quite strange and there’s been a lot of rain this year. Farmers in particular really pay attention to the climate, we’ve been having climate patterns we’ve never had before. Well, but I’m not here to scare you. Let’s enjoy ourselves (lol).
Sakurai: Yes (lol). Let’s enjoy.
Shiomi: What’s difficult is that we have to hurry, and yet we also have to proceed slowly and steadily. We have to tell people our message and soon, but we can’t tell them in the wrong way and scare everyone. So I think the best way is to show them how much we enjoy it. And also, to make good products and produce. Well, let’s eat.
Sakurai: Yes. Itadakima~su!
While savoring the flavors of the delicious dishes filled with Yamato vegetables, they had a very meaningful and deep conversation. Actually Shiomi-san was the one that picked out this restaurant. Sakurai thoroughly listened and was able to have a valuable experience. He once again thanked Shiomi-san, and went to the hotel to recover from the busy day and prepare for tomorrow.
Farming is the foundation, and X is what expands into the sky
I first ran into the environment problem 20 years ago, when I was 25, and I realized that first I had to start thinking about the environment too. 20 years have gone by since then, and I think that society has gotten better, but it’s been done so very slowly that at times I get depressed too. But for me, I started by just thinking that I needed to do something, rather than just doing what was expected by the government or Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries.
In the first place, I would have been ok becoming a full-time farmer like Kenichi-kun, but I didn’t have any confidence. In the coming years, doing even some farming would be good, but I didn’t have confidence I could do it full-time. And while I was searching for something that could be somewhere in the middle, I came across the phrase “half farming half writing” when I was about 28. It was coined by an author that lives on Yakushima, but there’s no way I could do writing, so I started thinking about what I could put in place of writing, but couldn’t find anything. First I put “it” (TN: written in English), meaning my “something,” and I was looking for that “something” when I tried the X and it looked like an idiom that way and seemed to fit well.
What’s important about half farming half X is that it doesn’t have to be in the countryside, it can also be done in the cities. It’s a way of thinking and living, by contacting and engaging with the earth and plants in any place you like, be it your apartment balcony or roof or anywhere, and at the same time doing something you are good at in some way, whether its through work or volunteering, anything.
For example, in the world of shrine/temple construction, there’s an old teaching that one should work in the fields during those times when they don’t have much carpenter work. That’s because the soil is connected to the trees that they work with, so learning about the soil means they are learning about the trees too. With that line of thought, “food” itself is connected to farming too, so in that way one can really perceive farms in a broad sense of the word.
Looking from here, I see many different expressions of X, all kinds of things from photography to hair and makeup, and I call it the “X Exhibition” (lol). I think that truly shows the diversity of biology. But that’s gradually becoming more homogeneous, and plants are also in the midst of losing many different kinds of seeds. But, regarding the plant seeds, it can be connected to business sometimes, so now finally various regions are acting to protect the plants there. In the past, apparently the seeds were even brought as part of a woman’s trousseau. Like, “I gave my daughter the seeds from our eggplants, because these eggplants are delicious when pickles.” Once I randomly read a letter to the editor in a newspaper from an 80 year-old woman, where she wrote that she had been given sesame seeds as part of her trousseau. She lived in Tenri in Nara, so I went to visit her. And she gave me 2 shou bottles’ worth of seeds (TN: a shou is a traditional Japanese unit for liquid volumes; 1 shou = 1.8 L). So then I looked for people that wanted some and divided them amongst us.
Apparently in the past tea plant seeds were also used to increase the amount of tea. Even though now they do it by grafting. It’s funny to think of tea plants having seeds. But they bloom white flowers and do produce seeds. In the first place, consider the origin of the Japanese word “tane” (TN: seed). The “ne” comes from the “ne” meaning roots. And it’s said the “ta” comes from words like “takaku” (TN: tall) or “takusan” (TN: a lot). Certainly, if you plant a seed, it will spread roots. But not only that, it also grows a sprout above ground, blooms flowers and makes more seeds. Recently I was taught the thinking that moving in the two directions like this is what’s important. In half farming, half X, the farming is the roots, and the X is what expands into the sky, the creative parts. Sometimes I’m told things like if you run after two hares, you catch neither, or that if all of Japan was half farming half X, then wouldn’t Japan decline, but I think that in pursuing two things like this, there is probably something that comes into view for each of us.
And off to the last part, where the tea will get processed, over here!
Masterpost is here :D
Experiencing tea leaf picking at the naturally farmed tea field
After listening to Kenichi-san’s passionate feelings towards farming, it seemed that Sakurai really wanted to go see Kenichi-san’s tea fields, so they decided to go there straight away. And, all the way along the road behind Kenichi-san’s small truck, they stopped by the grave of Kodono-san, an elderly man who took care of the house that Kenichi-san now lives in. Sakurai stopped to pray there with Kenichi-san. Right in the middle of this burial ground where many of this village’s ancestors sleep, there is a splendid cherry blossom tree. It was a bit too early to see it in full bloom, which occurs near the end of April, but it’s impressive even just imaging it. Seeing the large tree quietly watching over the people of the village had a mystical feeling to it.
They drove for a few more minutes. They arrived at the first tea field that Kenichi-san cultivates. At the edge of the plot, there were some trees that Kenichi-san pointed out, saying, “These trees were all over this field at first.” It turns out those were tea trees. Sakurai was surprised, saying, “You and your father cut down trees this big!?”
Kenichi-san’s tea field, that he practices the natural farming method on, looked completely different than the tea field seen farther away that is managed by someone else. The other field was a dark green, and neatly arranged to make the leaf picking easier, and this one seemed more disorderly. Of course, it’s not saying that one way is better than the other, it’s just that it was very clear to see how different a field under natural farming can look. Sakurai imagined how much Kenichi-san must have struggled with this field. It somehow got him very fired up.
He glanced around and saw that there were pretty mustard flowers blooming on the edges of the field. Kenichi-san said, “If I get hungry while I’m out here working, sometimes I pick and eat them.” And then he suddenly picked up some of the mustard leaves and put them in his mouth. “It’s good.” Sakurai was dumbfounded at that. And then, Kenichi-san said, “Have some, Sakurai-san.” Only half-convinced, he put the mustard leaves in his mouth, and then…”Ah! It’s good!” At that phrase, Kenichi-san then picked mustard leaves for all of the staff there as well.
They got back in the car and drove to another tea field. It was there that they planned to experience harvesting the tea firsthand, but Sakurai was surprised at how large the field was! This tea field was lent to him by an elderly man in the village 2 years ago, and it was 4000 tsubo big! (TN: A tsubo is a traditional unit of measurement, one is about 3.3 square meters). While being overwhelmed by the size of the field, it was finally time to start harvesting the tea leaves.
Kenichi-san and Sakurai stood with a neat row of tea plants between them. They held up a cutting machine from both sides over the plants like an arch. And then, with the loud noise of the motor going, they went slowly from one end of the row to the other, cutting the tea leaves, which went into the attached bag, gradually filling it. Which, is easily explained, but is actually very difficult work. In order to perfectly match up the walking speed, the height of the cutting machine, and the distance between the two, one needs considerable physical stamina to maintain each other’s strength. As soon as they got to the row’s end, it was so strenuous even Sakurai collapsed down onto the ground right there. To imagine doing that work on the entire huge tea field makes one feel faint.
The next step was to shape the tea plants by cutting the sides of the rows to be like a wall. Slowly and carefully. It’s really difficult to cut it slowly, a little at a time, like this than to just quickly cut it. Sakurai was somehow able to return a smile when Kenichi-san yelled, “Sakurai-san, you’re doing great!” but this job is more difficult than it looks. Before realizing it, Sakurai was covered in sweat. Kenichi-san told him, “It looks good.”
After more or less finishing up the cutting work, Kenichi-san’s family was preparing tea for everyone at the edge of the field. They laid out a rush mat, put a low tea table there, and served hot roasted green tea and a tea chiffon cake that the younger sister had made herself. The gentle soft flavor of the roasted tea and the subtle sweetness of the chiffon cake gradually soaked into their bodies and took away all their tiredness from the hard work. Sakurai looked very happy, experiencing the extravagance of being able to drink tea like this.
After relaxing a bit, Kenichi-san said, “I have some people I’d like you to meet” and led them to a house. That beautiful house belonged to Fukui Masaaki-san (87 years-old), the elderly man that was lending the tea field they were in earlier. Fukui-san returned from the war and started cultivating the field, from sowing the seeds, and raised it into such a huge field. And what’s really surprising is that, at the age of 70, he changed over all the fields to the natural, organic farming method. Even Sakurai, who first learned about the natural farming method today, could imagine the unfathomable challenge that must have been.
Fukui: After the war everyone was using pesticide and other chemicals, but I thought about it and it seemed like those would eventually have a big effect on humans too, so I started doing organic farming without disinfectants or fertilizer. My people (family) also felt that way too, so we talked it over and decided to do it.
Sakurai: Everyone in your family also felt that way.
Wife: The family was really just him and me though. We do have these kids come and help us with the cutting/harvesting now.
Kenichi: These two have really worked hard, even on rainy or windy days. And the tea field that resulted from all that long, hard work is the one they’re allowing me to borrow. I have to do whatever I can…
Fukui: We are getting older, and were wondering what we should do going forward when we met him. And so for these 2 or 3 years he’s been helping us out.
Kenichi: I started by carrying those full bags of tea like we did earlier. At the time, Fukui-san was about 82, but he was holding the cutting machine from the side that I did just now, which is quite heavy, and just went along. I could barely keep up, like, “What an amazing guy!” (lol). After cutting it, he brings it to his own processing factory here and starts it right away without sleeping. He was working until the year before last.
Wife: Yes, but last year he became quite ill.
Sakurai: It’s such difficult work after all.
Fukui: Yes~ it’s quite strenuous. It’s a big field. Probably about 150 ares (TN: 1 are is apparently 100 square meters).
Kenichi: Even when we took breaks during the work, he would take out his water bottle and let the young people drink first. That emotional strength and consideration is amazing. That’s what I’ve been looking up to this whole time. Of course, his skills are great too, but it’s the feelings he takes with him to the fields and in making tea that I’ve looked up to.
Seeing the feelings of Fukui-san when he put his fields, that he spent many decades taking such care of, in the hands of the young man Kenichi-san, and the determination of Kenichi-san who accepted them, it made Sakurai feel a little proud. After talking with them a little more, the group got back into the car. Here they parted with Kenichi-san for the time being. They would head out to Kenichi-san’s place again tomorrow, this time to experience processing the tea. Sakurai’s car headed to the center of Nara. Before going to the hotel for the night, there was someone Sakurai wanted to meet with first.
Learning about ‘half farming half X’ in Nara Town
In the center of Nara, there is Nara Town, where many traditional architectural buildings line the streets. Waiting for them at a certain restaurant was Shiomi Naoki-san (44 years-old). He invented the term “Half farming half X,” and supports Japan’s agriculture from a different angle, by proposing different ways to have today’s people see the importance of learning about and engaging with the farms. For the person living in the city, how can they engage with agriculture? Sakurai, who experienced it firsthand at Kenichi’s Natural Plantation, would look for that answer through this discussion.
Shiomi: Kenichi-kun has also been over to my house to visit before. It was maybe 5 years ago. When he was 22. He really surprised me then.
Sakurai: How did you guys know each other?
Shiomi: I had released a book, so I wonder if he came to see me because of that. Kenichi-kun already seemed to realize something even at that young age, and I thought maybe he was born to complete some sort of mission. I saw that the new generation is definitely here. For me, I don’t have much time anymore, so I’d like for the young kids like Kenichi-kun to keep moving forward.
Sakurai: You don’t have time?
Shiomi: For instance, the climate has been quite strange and there’s been a lot of rain this year. Farmers in particular really pay attention to the climate, we’ve been having climate patterns we’ve never had before. Well, but I’m not here to scare you. Let’s enjoy ourselves (lol).
Sakurai: Yes (lol). Let’s enjoy.
Shiomi: What’s difficult is that we have to hurry, and yet we also have to proceed slowly and steadily. We have to tell people our message and soon, but we can’t tell them in the wrong way and scare everyone. So I think the best way is to show them how much we enjoy it. And also, to make good products and produce. Well, let’s eat.
Sakurai: Yes. Itadakima~su!
While savoring the flavors of the delicious dishes filled with Yamato vegetables, they had a very meaningful and deep conversation. Actually Shiomi-san was the one that picked out this restaurant. Sakurai thoroughly listened and was able to have a valuable experience. He once again thanked Shiomi-san, and went to the hotel to recover from the busy day and prepare for tomorrow.
Farming is the foundation, and X is what expands into the sky
I first ran into the environment problem 20 years ago, when I was 25, and I realized that first I had to start thinking about the environment too. 20 years have gone by since then, and I think that society has gotten better, but it’s been done so very slowly that at times I get depressed too. But for me, I started by just thinking that I needed to do something, rather than just doing what was expected by the government or Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries.
In the first place, I would have been ok becoming a full-time farmer like Kenichi-kun, but I didn’t have any confidence. In the coming years, doing even some farming would be good, but I didn’t have confidence I could do it full-time. And while I was searching for something that could be somewhere in the middle, I came across the phrase “half farming half writing” when I was about 28. It was coined by an author that lives on Yakushima, but there’s no way I could do writing, so I started thinking about what I could put in place of writing, but couldn’t find anything. First I put “it” (TN: written in English), meaning my “something,” and I was looking for that “something” when I tried the X and it looked like an idiom that way and seemed to fit well.
What’s important about half farming half X is that it doesn’t have to be in the countryside, it can also be done in the cities. It’s a way of thinking and living, by contacting and engaging with the earth and plants in any place you like, be it your apartment balcony or roof or anywhere, and at the same time doing something you are good at in some way, whether its through work or volunteering, anything.
For example, in the world of shrine/temple construction, there’s an old teaching that one should work in the fields during those times when they don’t have much carpenter work. That’s because the soil is connected to the trees that they work with, so learning about the soil means they are learning about the trees too. With that line of thought, “food” itself is connected to farming too, so in that way one can really perceive farms in a broad sense of the word.
Looking from here, I see many different expressions of X, all kinds of things from photography to hair and makeup, and I call it the “X Exhibition” (lol). I think that truly shows the diversity of biology. But that’s gradually becoming more homogeneous, and plants are also in the midst of losing many different kinds of seeds. But, regarding the plant seeds, it can be connected to business sometimes, so now finally various regions are acting to protect the plants there. In the past, apparently the seeds were even brought as part of a woman’s trousseau. Like, “I gave my daughter the seeds from our eggplants, because these eggplants are delicious when pickles.” Once I randomly read a letter to the editor in a newspaper from an 80 year-old woman, where she wrote that she had been given sesame seeds as part of her trousseau. She lived in Tenri in Nara, so I went to visit her. And she gave me 2 shou bottles’ worth of seeds (TN: a shou is a traditional Japanese unit for liquid volumes; 1 shou = 1.8 L). So then I looked for people that wanted some and divided them amongst us.
Apparently in the past tea plant seeds were also used to increase the amount of tea. Even though now they do it by grafting. It’s funny to think of tea plants having seeds. But they bloom white flowers and do produce seeds. In the first place, consider the origin of the Japanese word “tane” (TN: seed). The “ne” comes from the “ne” meaning roots. And it’s said the “ta” comes from words like “takaku” (TN: tall) or “takusan” (TN: a lot). Certainly, if you plant a seed, it will spread roots. But not only that, it also grows a sprout above ground, blooms flowers and makes more seeds. Recently I was taught the thinking that moving in the two directions like this is what’s important. In half farming, half X, the farming is the roots, and the X is what expands into the sky, the creative parts. Sometimes I’m told things like if you run after two hares, you catch neither, or that if all of Japan was half farming half X, then wouldn’t Japan decline, but I think that in pursuing two things like this, there is probably something that comes into view for each of us.
And off to the last part, where the tea will get processed, over here!
Masterpost is here :D