It's a wonderful capture and it seems the rain had stopped for this shot. Ohhhhhhhhhhhh, but my back aches just looking at him; how many hours per day do they do this?

13 Jun 2008 2:23pm

@Judy: As long as they need to finish their work! This is why most farmers tend to have problems with their back and end up being crooked.I see many old women, in the area whereI live, with their spine curved by this back-breaking activity. Small paddies, terraced paddies are still worked by hand.Yoshiyuki saw this from the bus one day and next day he was on the spot trying to capture the activity. As the young generation tends to have no interest in farming, I wonder WHO will the supply the rice in the future (?!)

MadScientist from Düsseldorf, Germany

That looks like very hard work to me. I hope it's worth the effort!

13 Jun 2008 2:29pm

@MadScientist: It is worth the effort, of course! I've tried several varieties of rice since coming to Japan 25 years ago. The best strain is the Japanese one, it is the tastier among all other strains. As good seems to be the Californas rice, which is - in fact - also a Japanese strain basically!

standley from brou-sur-chantereine, France

This is superb Gabriela. I love it. The colours and the activity remind me of Madagascar!

13 Jun 2008 3:42pm

Marion from Nanaimo, BC, Canada

I think we should never take our rice for granted ever again. I agree with Judy, it looks like back breaking work. Wonderful photo that Yoshiyuki took.

13 Jun 2008 4:32pm

MaryB from Staffordshire, United Kingdom

Very hard work indeed, a fantastic image.

13 Jun 2008 6:45pm

DarkElf from Perth, Australia

fantastic shot, great topic for a photo as well... looks great but it is hard work...

13 Jun 2008 9:18pm

Stunner from Kingston, Jamaica

Very nice capture! It must be lot of hard work to grow rice.

13 Jun 2008 9:30pm

Illuci from Hurdegaryp, Netherlands

Hard and laborious work! I wonder why they don't have machines for this work yet, in our country it would have been disapproved by labor inspection office. Makes a beautiful picture!

14 Jun 2008 4:44am

Lorraine from Gatineau, Canada

What a fabulous photo, poor people though all that pain...good reporting though :)

14 Jun 2008 6:07am

Michael Skorulski from Cigel, Slovakia

A lovely piece of local culture captured so well.

14 Jun 2008 6:20am

GJC from Kyoto, Japan

Nice shot showing just how hard it is to raise the delicious rice of Japan. I really admire the farmers a great deal and appreciate so much how hard they work. Even in this day of machines and fertilizers, it is a LOT of work.

15 Jun 2008 8:45pm