Seedlings are now set in the Paddy
ABC in a rice paddy, “planting workshop.”

休日農業講座「田んぼのイロハ」田植え編

　26年5月23−24日の週末、エコプラスの休日農業講座「田んぼのイロハ」田植え編を、新潟県南魚沼市で開催しました。参加したのは、首都圏や山形県、さらに沖縄県からの家族連れや会社員、学生など、5歳から70歳代までの17人。

On the weekend of May 23–24, 2014, Eco Plus held its weekend agricultural workshop, “ABC in a rice paddy” in Minamiuonuma City, Niigata Prefecture. Seventeen participants, ranging in age from 5 to their 70s—including families, office workers, and students from the Tokyo metropolitan area, Yamagata Prefecture, and even Okinawa Prefecture—took part.

　23日は、田んぼの観察に向かおうとした道路脇で、大きなヘビを発見。穴に潜って逃げようとしたところを、足で踏みつけて押さえ込みました。講師役の生きもの専門家、深澤和基さんがちょうど到着して、ヘビを引きずり出してみんなに見せてくれました。

On the 23rd, as we were heading out to observe the rice paddies, we spotted a large snake by the side of the road. It tried to escape by slithering into a hole, but we stepped on it and pinned it down. Fukasawa Kazuki , the wildlife expert serving as our instructor, happened to arrive just then and dragged the snake out to show everyone.

　体長1メートル50センチ前後。薄緑色のきれいな体でした。深澤さんによると、アオダイショウ。正確は、シマヘビよりもおだやかで攻撃性は少ないとのこと。首の部分をどう捕まえるかを教わって、交代でつかませてもらいました。

It was about 1.5 meters long and had a beautiful light green body. According to Mr. Fukasawa, it was a Japanese rat snake. He explained that, compared to the Japanese striped snake, it is generally more docile and less aggressive. He taught us how to hold it by the neck, and we took turns holding it.

　全身のうろこは乾燥していて固くもなく、その下にある筋肉がしっかりしているのがよく分かります。全体の４分の３ほどまでが胴体で、その下に肛門があることなどを説明してもらいました。5歳の女の子2人も、ニコニコしながらヘビを見つめていました。

The scales covering its entire body were dry but not hard, and we could clearly felt the firm muscles beneath them. He explained that about three-quarters of its body was its torso, and that its anus was located just below that. Two 5-year-old girls were also staring at the snake with big smiles on their faces.

　田んぼでは、大きなタニシが水で覆われた表面にぐにゃぐにゃ模様を描いて移動中。アメンボやオタマジャクシ、小さな昆虫、それにウマビルなどが元気よく動いていました。

In the rice paddies, large snails were moving across the water’s surface, leaving squiggly patterns in their wake. Water striders, tadpoles, small insects, and leeches were all moving about energetically.

　標高の高い栃窪集落に移動して、若手農家日熊恵一さん（39歳）の田植えも見学しました。7列を同時に植える立派な田植え機。田んぼは幅が狭く一部はでっぱりがあって、日熊さんは田植え機を前後左右に何度も方向転換しながら植え付けていきます。最後に田んぼから出る際は、急な上り坂になっているあぜを乗り越えるのに、バランスを取るために田植え機の最前部に体を移動する技も見せてもらいました。

We then moved to the high-altitude village of Tochikubo to observe young farmer Higuma Keiichi (39) planting rice. He was using an impressive rice transplanter capable of planting seven rows simultaneously. The rice paddy was narrow and had one protrusion, so Mr. Higuma had to maneuver the transplanter back and forth and side to side repeatedly as he planted. As he was leaving the field at the end, he demonstrated a technique where he shifted his body to the very front of the planter to maintain balance while navigating the steep, uphill embankment.

　2日目は、夜半から雨。6時からのバードウォッチングの際には寒く感じるほど。田植えを始める午前9時すぎからは次第に雨も上がって、青空も見えてきました。

On the second day, it rained through the night. It was cold enough to feel chilly during the 6:00 a.m. birdwatching session. However, after we began planting around 9:00 a.m., the rain gradually stopped, and blue skies began to appear.

　今年は、1月に雪がしっかりと降った後、2−3月が暖かく一気に雪が溶けたために、山からの沢水が少ない状況です。田んぼの代かきがなかなか出来ずに、2日前に降った雨でやっと代が完成しました。

This year, after a heavy snowfall in January, the warm weather in February and March caused the snow to melt all at once, resulting in low water levels in the mountain streams. We had been unable to finish leveling the rice paddies, but the rain that fell two days ago finally allowed us to complete the work.

　六角形の枠を転がして、目印を付け、その交差点に順番に苗を植えていきます。5歳児の一人は、最初は泥の中に足を入れるのがいやで泣き叫んでいましたが、しばらくすると平気で田んぼの中を行ったり来たり。最後は、5歳児2人と若者2人が一緒になって枠転がしをする場面も。

We rolled hexagonal frames to mark the lines and planted the seedlings in order at the intersections. One of the 5-year-olds initially cried and screamed because she didn’t want to put his feet in the mud, but after a while, she was walking back and forth across the rice paddy without a care. By the end, there was even a scene where two 5-year-olds and two young adults worked together to roll the frames.

　作業はどんどんと進み、正午前には2枚の田んぼ、計約500平方メートルの田んぼにきれいに苗が並びました。

　The work progressed rapidly, and by noon, the seedlings were neatly arranged across two rice paddies, totaling about 500 square meters.

　応援いただいた地元農家の加藤吉春さんが、「今年は何でも値上がりして大変。肥料もそうだし、稲刈り用のコンバインも去年1,500万円だったのが2,000万円になっている」などと現状を説明してくださったのも、参加者には大きなインパクトになりました。

　次回は、6月20−21日、草取り編です。

Kato Yoshiharu, a local farmer who came to support us, explained the current situation, saying, “Everything has gone up in price this year, which is really tough. Fertilizer is one example, and rice transplanters have gone from 15 million yen last year to 20 million yen.” His words had a profound impact on the participants.

　The next session, scheduled for June 20–21, will focus on weeding.