Edamame Harvest Experience!

20/10/2024

The harvest season for black edamame has come again this year! Every year, we offer a harvest experience to foreign residents in the prefecture, and this year, we had a lively group with both familiar faces and new participants.

This year, it seemed the beans weren't filling well, making the harvest a bit challenging. Fortunately, a nearby farmer agreed to host us. The guest from Walla Walla, who is staying with us, decided to stay home because a friend was coming to visit him, and they surely had a lot to catch up on. He has likely participated in the harvest experience many times, including this visit.

So, once everyone gathered, we took a pleasant stroll to the fields. Upon arrival, we found that after the heavy rain the previous day, there were puddles in the field. So instead of the usual task of cutting with large scissors, we picked the pods from the blue tarps laid out on the ground.

There were other groups in the field, but since they were relatives of the farmer, we all chatted happily while working. Among the new members was someone who had just arrived a few weeks ago, so this must have been a refreshing experience for them. At the end, we took a  group photo! 📸

After the harvest, due to requests from the participants, we planned to go to the local buffet at the Kuromame-no-Yakata. However, on weekends in October, an overwhelming number of visitors come to Tamba Sasayama. We couldn't make a reservation online, so we decided to go as early as possible, but as expected, we saw the sad words, "Today's acceptance has ended…" 😭

Last year, we had a similar situation where our plans went awry, and we ended up going out for ramen. This year, we tried to have a set meal at the restaurant called Asuka Nobo. However, once again, the place was full with a long waiting list. When we asked the staff, they said it would be a 40-minute wait.

When I asked what to do, all the participants and the Walla Walla guest unanimously agreed they were fine with waiting, so we wrote our names to the waiting list and went for a walk. While walking along the river, we relaxed and had various conversations. The new member from Washington State and the Walla Walla guest found common topics to discuss, making for a fun time.

Finally, we were able to have lunch around 2 PM, and after the harvest experience event, we said good bye to some of them and we went home with others and spent time chatting over coffee.

In the evening, since it was the last night with our guest from Walla Walla, we made Chirashi sushi. This was his first time trying this type of sushi, and he was very pleased. We reflected on the past week as a family, listened to more stories about Walla Walla, and shared experiences and encounters from his many visits to Japan.

Tomorrow is the day of departure. The visiting delegation will need to gather by a little after 5 AM, so I guess we'll be waking up around 4 AM?
Let's make the most of the final moments!