Midori Ippai Project Activities LINE 255Participation in Izu Matsuzaki-cho Ishibu Rice Terrace "Harvest Festival" October 7, 2017 NTT West Shizuoka Group
On October 7, 2017 (Saturday), a total of 39 participants from NTT West Shizuoka Group took part in the harvest festival of Ishibu rice terrace at Izu Matsuzaki-cho. This was the third time Shizuoka Group participated in the rice harvest activity.
Located at an altitude of 120m to 250m, Ishibu Rice Terrace was selected as one of the "10 Best Rice Terrace Sites, etc. in Shizuoka Prefecture" from the perspectives of national land conservation, rural landscape as well as historical and cultural value. It is a scenic site that overlooks the Suruga Bay and offers a view of Mount Fuji and the Southern Alps on a clear day.
Rice cultivation was actively carried out here since as old as the Edo era until about mid 1950s to 1970s. However, the area of cultivation gradually decreased with the changing times. By 1999, 90% of the cultivation was abandoned and densely covered with cogon grass.
Local people who saw the devastated state of the land wanted to hand down the rice terrace that was painstakingly built by the ancestors to the future generations. This led to the restoration of the rice terrace since 1999.
On the day of the event, participants departed from Shizuoka City in the rain at 7:30 a.m. and arrived at the destination at around noon time. The sky was already clear by then, and they engaged in the work under the unusually warm October weather at a temperature higher than 28ﾂｺC.
Thanks to the care given by people from the local community after the rice planting festival held on May 20 (Saturday) this year, the heads of the rice stalks were drooping and the field was beautifully covered in a golden color on the day of harvest.
Participants were wiping away their sweat as they reaped the rice by cutting the plants at the base using a sickle and tying them into bundles. Next, racks for drying the rice plants were installed in the rice field, and the bundles of rice were hung on the racks and sun-dried.
The rice field was muddy after the rain, and the participants had a hard time moving about. Also, as the number of participants this time was the fewest compared to the past activities, it was uncertain whether they could complete the harvesting work as scheduled. Nonetheless, thanks to the united effort of the participants with experienced ones offering guidance to first-timers, work was completed successfully.
The activities from rice planting in May to harvesting this time provided an opportunity for participants to learn about rice terraces and crop cultivation. This can also be counted as a fruit of the hard work.
NTT West Shizuoka Group will continue to engage actively in environmental conservation activities.
- Participating companies
- NTT West Shizuoka Group (NTT West Shizuoka Branch, NTT Business Solutions, NTT Marketing Act, NTT Fieldtechno, NTT Business Associe West)
- Venues
- Ishibu rice terrace in Nishiizu, Matsuzaki-cho, Ishibu district
- No. of participants
- 39 (including 5 children)
