MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- In June of this year, volunteers from Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, and local residents planted rice in Tenno, Japan. On Oct. 5, 2013, another group of volunteers returned with the Youth Cultural Program to the field to harvest the rice planted months before.
Participants arrived at the former Tenno Elementary School after walking a short distance in the rain from the bus.
Although the rain raised questions as to if they would be able to harvest the rice, Toshiaki Sekiguchi, a local rice master, quickly gave the green light.
Volunteers made their way to the rice field once the opening ceremony ended.
Before participants got down and dirty, Sekiguchi gave a quick demonstration on the correct way to harvest rice.
Sekiguchi demonstrated to the group how to use a sickle to slice through bundles of rice stalks. After skillfully cutting eight bundles, he tied the bundles together and hung them up to dry.
“A lot of Japanese don’t even know how rice is grown or harvested, so it was a learning experience for everyone,” said Nami Yamamoto, youth cultural program coordinator.
With sickles in hand, volunteers made their way into the field to start the harvest.
“In the United States, you don’t see a lot of rice fields, so it’s interesting to see it up close and the process of harvesting it,” said Paula Smeeds, volunteer and military spouse. “Out of all of the rice stalks I harvested today, it probably only made up one bowl of rice.”
After harvesting the rice, the group returned to the school to enjoy fresh rice that Sekiguchi had harvested earlier in the month for this very occasion.
The day drew to a close with Japanese and Americans playing games and enjoying the rest of their time together.
“I think this interaction is important so we can represent America on a positive note and show respect to our host nation,” said Smeeds.
Yamamoto said community relation events, like the harvest, give the Japanese and Americans a chance to build relationships through a shared experience.
After a closing ceremony, participants said goodbye and returned to the bus with new knowledge of Japanese culture.