April 22 (Saturday)
Rice seedling planting session |
| Rice growing starts at rice paddies in Sakae-cho, Inba-gun, Chiba Prefecture. Children are given seedling and start planting rice with their hands. |
June 3 (Saturday)
Weeding session |
| Rice seedlings that seemed feeble at first have by now gotten bigger. Children remove weeds, allowing the field to yield an abundant crop. The weeds are not disposed but buried to fertilize the rice. |
August 26 (Sat)
Harvesting session |
| Despite concern over rice growth due to a cooler summer, small seedlings have now grown into mature rice plants. Rice plants that are harvested one by one with sickles are dried using the hazagake method, a traditional Japanese style of drying rice plants in the sun to improve their taste. |
October 21 (Saturday)
Blessing session |
| Children visited Takara Shuzo’s Matsudo Factory for a factory tour and enjoyed a quiz event and a rice ball party using the rice they have grown. They also learned about brewing sake and proper drinking habits. |
Middle of March
Sake made from the rice they have grown! |
| Harvested rice was brewed into sake at Takara Shuzo’s Shirakabe-gura factory. The sake bottles have original labels designed by the participating children. The bottled sake is delivered to each participant as the only sake in the world. |
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