Summer is just around the corner, and for our small family farm, the weekend kicked off with harvesting in the rain.
My mom and dad had mentioned that the corn was past its peak, but working in the rain always adds extra hassle. I was staying at my parents’ house with my son that Saturday night, and I’d planned to wake up a bit earlier than usual to help with the harvest and packing. Maybe that intention stuck with me, because I woke up less than four hours after going to bed. To be exact, I thought I heard a noise outside that woke me.
Summer’s Coming: A Small Farmer’s Weekend
I checked my phone—it was 4:00 AM. Figuring if I went back to sleep, I’d likely sleep past six, I dragged myself out of bed, lit a cigarette, and stumbled outside. When I got to our usual packing area, no one was there, but I saw corn in baskets, covered with a blanket. At first, I thought it was just what we’d harvested the day before, but I quickly realized my mistake. The corn in the baskets was wet! What was strange, though, was the sheer volume for that time of morning.
Rubbing my sleepy eyes, I pulled out my rain gear, which I usually keep in my car for stream fishing, and walked to the back field. There, I found our mini-truck loaded with corn. And under the beam of a headlamp, there was my dad, harvesting. It was 4:30 AM.
When I asked him if he wanted help with the harvest or packing, he just said, “Oh, I’m just finishing up, so you can help with the packing prep.” So, I turned around and headed back to the house. I found out later that he’d woken up, couldn’t get back to sleep, and started harvesting by himself a little after 2:00 AM. Honestly, that’s just borderline suspicious behavior!
“Let’s Just Plant the Rice!”
I got back to my parents’ house and worked for about four hours. After finally finishing up the day’s corn shipments, I asked my dad about the rice paddies, which I’d been curious about. He said they were only about 40% done. Apparently, a few days earlier, my mom had fallen in the rice paddy, and then again on the road on the way home, causing quite a commotion. My dad chuckled as he told me there were still some paddies that hadn’t even been tilled yet.
Well, I had a feeling the rice planting wouldn’t be finished, so I was already planning to help. I told my dad, “Alright, let’s just plant the rice!” After loading the corn into the pickup for shipment, we headed straight to the rice paddies.
My mom, who needs a bit more watching these days, went with my dad to the direct sales stand. After seeing the truck off and tidying up the packing area, I woke up my son, gave him breakfast, and went to the paddy by myself.
I carried over the seedlings we planned to plant, observed the rice paddies and surrounding fields, and even played around with some taro leaves until my dad and mom arrived. Then, the rice planting began.
From Rice Planting to…
The rain, which had been falling until just after sunrise, had stopped, and the sky looked like the temperature was going to rise, just as predicted.
My dad started on the rice planter, and I handled moving the seedling trays and providing support. After a while, we switched places; I took over the planter, and my dad moved to the tractor to finish tilling. By the time we finished the areas we could do with machinery, it was almost lunchtime. As the designated cook, I stopped the rice planter and hurried back to the house.
Lunch that day, decided during the rice planting, was Hiyashi Chuka (chilled ramen). All I needed to get were some instant noodles and ham from the fridge, and the cooking itself was quick. After eating, I checked the vegetables in the backyard, pulled some weeds, and then headed back to the paddies.
I planted seedlings in the corners of the paddies that the machine couldn’t reach, and carried more seedlings for future planting into the paddies my dad had just finished tilling. And then, it was time for my mom-check (laughs).
She kept circling, looking like she wanted to help, but since she’d just fallen in the paddy a few days prior, I was on edge the whole time. I had her sit in the passenger seat of the pickup and told her to “rest.” But the moment I looked away, she was gone. I looked around and saw her chatting with a neighbor some distance away. A few minutes later, I peeked again and was shocked to see her walking along a treacherous path towards the field. My mom somehow made it to the field and started climbing a small incline to get out of the paddy. But then, I saw the low net fence meant to keep out pests, and it made me even more nervous. When she was healthier, she’d still stumbled over that thing multiple times. I hoped she would go around, but I watched her from about 75 yards away.
But then… it happened.
My mom, having successfully climbed the incline, started to step over the net as if my wishes meant nothing to her. Her right foot barely cleared the net, and then it was her left… which wouldn’t lift. She grabbed one of the thin poles supporting the net, trying to lift her left foot over it. She put her left foot down once, unable to clear it, but didn’t give up and tried again… still couldn’t clear it. I started to panic, knowing even if I ran, I wouldn’t make it in time.
And then… the next time she lifted her foot, she still couldn’t get over, and she stayed in that awkward position for about 10 seconds. It was so long, it made me think, “How is she even holding that?” Just as I was about to give up and think, “There’s no way,” she managed to clear the net. That was probably the most heart-pounding moment of my first half of 2025, hands down.
After making sure my mom was safely in the field, I called out to my dad, who was in a relaxed mood, saying, “Oh, she probably went to check on the cucumbers.” By the time I finished washing the remaining seedling trays and moving the last of the seedlings, my mom still wasn’t in sight, and I started to worry again. I told my dad, “I’ve done everything I can, so I’m going to get groceries for dinner.” I got into the pickup and headed back to the house, driving through the fields. I didn’t see my mom in the fields or on the road, but there she was, right in front of our house, sitting and resting on someone else’s stone wall (laughs).
Badminton, One Set
I was about to head to the supermarket after my third change of clothes for the day when my son, who had probably been gaming all day, appeared.
He saw me dressed and asked, “Are you done? Are you free?” He seemed to want to ask me for a favor. I told him, “Dad’s exhausted from farm work, and now I’m going grocery shopping for you guys, so what is it?” He replied weakly, “Never mind then.” Apparently, he wanted to play badminton.
I’d played with him a few times for fun since he was in middle school, and my record against my not-so-great son was overwhelmingly in my favor. As far as I remember, I’d only lost once, and that was with a handicap. But it dawned on me that he must have joined the badminton club in high school for some reason, and he was looking for an opportunity to get revenge on his old man.
“Alright, let’s see what you’ve got,” I challenged him, and the game began. Honestly, I didn’t think I’d be able to beat a high schooler who’d been playing on a club team, even if it was only for two or three months. But since he was with me, I agreed to play just one set.
I barely won, 21-19 (laughs). He was overconfident in his improved skills and even gave me the advantageous position considering the sunlight, but he struggled mightily. Even after we switched sides in the second half, he ultimately self-destructed, and Dad won! I politely declined his request for a rematch and headed off to the store.
Making Kaisen-don
Since it was Father’s Day, I had decided the day before to make Kaisen-don (a seafood bowl) with all of my dad’s favorite toppings, especially since he’s a picky eater. I picked out various ingredients within the budget my wife gave me, even covering the slightly over-budget amount myself, and managed to get everything.
I returned to my parents’ house, made miso soup, prepared the sushi rice, sliced the sashimi, and arranged it on the bowls. As I was packing a to-go bowl for my wife, who had provided the budget, my dad and mom returned from the fields. Lately, I’d only prepared dinner and hadn’t eaten with them, but with my son along, it was a rare meal for the four of us. The person most excited about the Kaisen-don and miso soup was my son, who hadn’t done a thing.
My mom found my son and, for some reason, started patting his shoulder and talking to him. My dad, even with only vague replies, kept asking his grandson about school. My son is at an age where he’s not particularly adorable, and he hadn’t helped at all. Yet, he was more thrilled than he would have been with the Kaisen-don… sometimes, I think grandkids are just unfair.
Additional information:
- Mini-truck (軽トラ – Kei Tora): Short for “Kei Truck,” these are small, lightweight pickup trucks very common in Japan, especially in rural areas, for farming and other utility purposes.
- Hiyashi Chuka (冷やし中華): A popular Japanese chilled ramen dish, typically served in the summer. It consists of chilled ramen noodles with various toppings like sliced ham, cucumber, shredded omelet, and a sour soy sauce-based dressing.
- Kaisen-don (海鮮丼): A Japanese rice bowl dish topped with various fresh raw seafood, similar to sashimi on top of sushi rice.
