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Joy of Growing and Harvesting Crops
The school meets four times a year in April to plant rice seedling, in June for weeding, in August for harvesting and in October to enjoy nature’s blessing.
Participants plant rice seedlings by hand in the rice seedling planting session, pull out weeds to give an abundant crop in the weeding session, and harvest the rice with traditional agricultural implements and dry it in the sun in the harvesting session. The final session where all can enjoy the blessings of nature is conducted at Takara Shuzo’s Matsudo Factory. The session offers a variety of enjoyable programs, such as a party where participants make rice balls with the rice they have grown and the sake and culture workshop where they watch a demonstration of “komo daru maki” made with straw. There is the sake and science class where they learn that sake is produced by microorganisms through observation and experiments and the factory quiz rally where they learn that sake is produced by the blessings of nature, which includes a factory tour and a quiz.
The rice harvested is also used to brew sake carefully by technicians of Sake Sho-Chiku-Bai at the factory. The sake is poured in bottles carrying original labels made by the participating children. The bottled sake is delivered to each participant family as the only sake in the world.
Following the 2004 program, there were about 2,000 applicants mainly from the metropolitan area for the 2005 program. About 100 people are attending the TaKaRa Rice and Sake School 2005 that started in April.
(5) Weeding the rice paddies
(6)&(7) Trying to make scarecrows. Wonderful!
(8) Grain threshing using traditional agricultural implements
(9) “It’s tasty.” Rice grown yourself is exceptionally delicious.
(10) The only bottle of sake, with a label made by children. Dad and mom, please taste it! |
Parent-and-Child Classes on Proper Drinking Habits
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Lecture by a nurse (at far left) from a medical point of view
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Adults and children alike listen earnestly to the speech
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The Rice and Sake School also offers various programs on alcohol-related social issues such as underage drinking to instill proper drinking habits.
The class gives a detailed explanation in the form of a panel discussion, in a manner that children can understand, on the reasons why children should not drink alcohol, how to deal with alcohol wisely when they become adults and the reasons why no drinking is allowed during pregnancy and while driving a car.
This is an effort to educate not only children but also adults on the effects and impacts of alcohol on the human body to prevent underage drinking and drunken driving. We hope that they build up knowledge of alcohol and appropriate drinking manners by learning together.
*voice#9 [Voice of Cooperating Organizations]
Information on TaKaRa Rice and Sake School is also included on our website.
(Written in Japanese only) |
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