Rural

長雨 – The Long Rain

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Rice Field in Rain

Early June, the rice fields of Northern Tohoku were in and the Ojii-sans were taking a bit of rest. Plowing the fields, fertilizing, reconstructing the せぎ (rice field water ditches), planting the little rice starts – all that was done and the valley could pause. The pause came naturally, as the 長雨 settled over the … Read more

Northern Japan’s slow rhythm – Spring in Tohoku

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Northern Tohoku – the three prefectures just south of Hokkaido, Aomori/Iwate/Akita, on the northern tip of Honshu- has its own rhythm and life. They aren’t so far away from ‘modern’ as to be unaware of the ‘outside’ – they just have the freedom, and space, to not care. Here, the four very distinct seasons provide … Read more