We start this episode in Ueno
at Inaricho Aizawa rice shop
They sell rice from 24 prefectures
both in shop and online
This is the owner, Toshiyuki Aizawa
Welcome! Thank you for coming!
His shop is full of bag of rice
and he knows a great deal about the subject
and I had a lot of question about Japanese rice
There is a lot more to talk about with AIZAWA san
First, I head to a rice paddy for TAUE
at one of top Japan's SAKE makers, "DASSAI"
"DASSAI"'s rice comes from HYOGO prefecture,
north of KOBE
The area is perfect for rice, used in SAKE
Joining me were area locals, and school children
interested in learning more on the old tradition
of rice planting
A good pair of boots really helps
if you're standing for hours in the paddy
and that paddy is more than just water
Every step you take.....you sink in about
20cm or something like that
So this is where rice grows
gross
The most popular variety of rice used for SAKE is called
and it's pre-grown before being re-planted in the paddy
Pinch off several stems of the root
and submerge the stem into the mud
keeping the top above water
It seems easy to do, but....
It's really a skill when you have to
fill in an entire paddy
How do they do it?
They are way ahead of me
They must have some sort of secret power or
a secret style...
that I don't know about
Their rows are absolutely perfect
What are we doing wrong?
Not many people plant rice by hand these days
It's more of an opportunity to keep the old way
and bring the community together
That's one of the importance of rice in Japan
Rice paddies are teaming with life
From frogs and beatles
to some of the more dangerous looking creatures
A farmer called me to show me one of them
A snake
Japanese snakes aren't (generally) poisonous but...
No snakes were harmed in filming this episode
Here is a policeman trying TAUE for the first time
They are so fast
Planting by hand
A skill the old timers still have
They move with skill and accuracy
Sharing a day together planting rice
was a great memory
So much so, that when I eat rice
I'm reminded of the hard work required
to make each bite
It's also a reminder of the overall importance
of rice to Japan
What a day
As you can see, I got my hand dirty
and that's sort of the point
You get to feel the earth
you get to touch the rice
you put it into the ground and see it grow
and that has kind of a spiritual meaning
These days you don't have to get your hands dirty
We've got machines for that
The rice planting machine is awesome
It's built to weather the deep mud
It gets loaded up,
and plants the rice seedling evenly
without wasting space
What took a full day
with group of people planting by hand
now takes less than an hour
with one machine
I wanted to harness this power
and give it a try
No one is going to turn over an expensive piece of equipment
to a beginner like me
without some training
It's like a car with many levers and controls
Slowly bring the steering wheel back
Step on the pedal and
plant the rice as you advance
ready?
ok!
Let's go!
like this?
My greatest worry was swerving
and not maintaining a straight line
This isn't the Indianapolis 500, but...
It's still a lot of fun!
Using this lever
Now the line starts over there
Did he say speed up?
Let's go!
more?
more??
more????
take the pedal off
Ahhhhh!
Who's in control??
Who's in control???
This is really cool!
I just don't want to crash it
One of the coolest thing I've done in Japan
Rice planting with a machine
I can understand more of the significance of rice
It's part of Japan's soul
in bowls to eat
in the SAKE to drink
grown in the sun
given to gods for worship
and used in ceremony and prayer
This is my neighbor, Mr. SEIICHI
and he's been eating rice, all of his life
He's 94 years old
so that's a lot of rice
How has it changed since the early 1900s?
So, eating a 100% white rice
was a real luxury back then
Rice is harvested
and the product looks like this
It still has the husk on it
loaded with vitamins and minerals
Aizawa san takes 2kg from the bag
Then puts it in a machine
Most people do this
because not only tastes better,
but increases the shelf life
This is the white rice we often see in Sushi
or by itself on the breakfast lunch or dinner table
We weigh it again
and now, it's only 910 grams
Losing more than half of its weight
Cooked in a SUIHANKI, or Rice cooker
It's ready to be eaten
Aizawa-san turns it
then serves it in a bowl
He recommends chewing it 30 to 40 times
before swallowing
because the saliva enhances the flavor
and improves digestion
So, when you come to Japan
and get a bowl of rice to eat
or drink it as a SAKE
don't forget the significance of rice in JAPAN
Every grain is important
Good to the last bite