We planted young rice plants a few days ago. Here are just some quick photos. We'll report you many details later.

During April and May, farmers in our area are busy preparing for the transplantation of rice seedlings.

Some of the farmers have jobs in addition to tending the fields, thus they were very busy during the annual Golden Week vacation period. In Japan, we have consecutive national holidays during the first week of May, so the week is called Golden Week. Their work is not as hard as it used to be, because they use modernized farming machines.

Young rice plants are growing well and strong. Farmers plant rice seeds in the middle of April and wait about a month before they sprout. These plants will be transplanted to the rice fields in May.

Before transplanting the rice seedlings, farmers plow the rice fields and spread fertilizer, flood the fields and then till the fields until the soil becomes soft. This process is called Shirokaki in Japanese. It is also important for the farmers to cut the grass covering the footpaths between the rice fields. After this, they mend the footpaths to fill in any recent holes.

In more recent times, women play more active roles in farming.

A woman is driving an agricultural tractor. She is plowing her rice fields and then will move on to till the fields.

A farmer is spreading calcium based fertilizer for soil enrichment. This is very useful to make the rice plants strong.

He is mending the footpaths and drains between rice fields to ensure the rice fields retain the water.

Farmers also fill in the holes made by moles or field mice. It is commonly believed that 3.75kg of each rice crop is eaten by moles. If we leave the holes as they are, a great deal of damage can be done to the rice crop.

Local people in our area cooperate in protecting the natural environment. They do their best to keep the water clean. Water sources and the natural environment are very important in farming. They also combine forces for the prosperity and development of the community.

The trees and plants around us have turned green and we feel happy to see them. Small brooks murmur as they run through our area. Larvae that grow in the swamp will soon burrow into the ground and return in the beginning of July as fireflies.

The Northeast districts of Japan are famous for producing high quality rice. In 2007, Miyagi Prefecture was placed 6th in Japan for its rice crop (after Niigata, Hokkaido, Akita, Fukushima and Ibaraki).

Tome City, which is located in the northern part of Miyagi, has vast and fertile rice fields, and is one of the best regions for producing delicious and high quality rice.

In this blog, reporters who live in Tome City, will dispatch reports on the topic of produging high quality rice, from the time of rice-planting to the harvest.

Tome City also has vast natural resources, such as clean and non-polluted air and water.

There are also brooks, where you can enjoy watching fireflies in summer. Thanks to the natural environment, people in Tome City are able to produce delicious rice.

Reporters will also send updates about the daily lives of people in this area, as well as traditional local events and festivals.

Though the area owned by each local farmer is not very large, they always try to do their best to co-operate and produce safe, high quality and delicious rice. It is the local farmers' philosophy to grow rice with the greatest possible care. They believe that rice produced in Tome City is the best in Japan.

We hope you will find something useful in the reports from Tome City.

Reporters' Profile
Mr. Kan-ichi Onodera (left in the picture), lives in Towa, Tome City. He has been a city council member since 2005, and at the same time he owns rice fields. He has been engaged in international exchange programs between Vernon, Canada, Tome City's sister city. He contributed to securing the sister city agreement between Vernon and Tome.

He has also been engaged in volunteer work, and many local events. He used to work at a community education section at Towa Town Hall. He has traveled abroad many times, and he understands how important it is to have mutual understandings between foreign people and Japanese people.

Mr. Seikoh Sasaki (right in the picture), is a retired teacher. He used to teach English at senior high schools in Iwate and Miyagi Prefecture. After his retirement, he has been working as an international exchange consultant at Tome City Hall.

He was once invited to Carroll Senior High School in Texas, U.S.A as an exchange teacher. He has traveled abroad many times, and he also thinks it is necessary to have mutual understandings between foreign people and Japanese people for the peace of the world. He also works as a volunteer tour guide in Tome City.

First, farmers start cutting grass on the path between the fields before planting the rice.

Second, cultivate the rice fields with the tractor, and spread manure and leave the fields for the next step, "shirokaki."

"Shirokaki" is to soften and flatten the fields in preparation for transplanting young rice plants: pour water into the fields and stirrer the soil.

We are going to plant the rice in early May.

Local farmers are busy planting rice-seeds. About a month later, young rice plants will grow in the seed plots which are seeds and soil in the boxes.

These plants will be transplanted to the rice fields in the beginning of May.

The whole family of the farmers takes part in the rice-seeds planting. These days, the planting is processed automatically by the specialized machine.

The seed plots are placed in the plastic greenhouse.

Location
Tome City is located about 500 kilometers (km) north of Tokyo, and lies in the northeast of Miyagi Prefecture. Tome City is bordered by the areas of Kurihara in the west, Ishinomaki and Osaki in the south and, Motoyoshi in the east. The northern bordered of Tome is shared with Iwate Prefecture.

The total area of Tome is 536.38 kilometers squared (km2), and covers approximately 7.36 percent of the total area of Miyagi Prefecture. The Central Business District (CBD) of the city is Hasama. It is located about 70km from Sendai (the capital city of Miyagi Prefecture), 25km from Osaki City and about 30km from both Ishinomaki City and Ichinoseki City (Iwate Prefecture).

Geography

The western and north-east areas of the city are mountainous. A vast plain stretches through the center of the region which is primarily used for growing rice. The soil here is rich in nutrients and is famous for producing two types of rice called Sasanishiki and Hitomebore.

The Hasama River and Natsu River run through the region from north-east to south-west. They intersect at with the Kitakami River which runs through from the north to the south in the eastern part of the city. These rivers have proved a great advantage to the city for many years for daily activities, farming and industry.

In the east of the city there are famous wetlands called Izunuma and Uchinuma. These were designated as important wetlands at The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, which was held in Iran in 1971. The convention laid out a framework for "national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources". Swans and wild geese from as far as Siberia settle in these areas in the winter as part of their annual migration. In addition to this there is another wetland in the southern part of the city called Byodonuma which is home to flowering cherry blossom trees in the spring and lotus flowers in the summer. Thus, for these reasons the city is often called "The Home of the Wetlands".

Climate
The climate of Tome City is warm in summer and mild in winter. The yearly average temperature in 2000 was approximately 11.7 degrees Celsius. In 2000 The registered rainfall was 1,020millimetres (mm) with most falling in the summer months and limited rainfall in the winter. Unlike in other parts of northern Japan, there are few snowstorms in the winter. On average there are a few isolated days with snowfalls, with the snow quickly melting on the ground afterwards. Thus Tome City is an ideal place for anyone to live.

Quoted from Miyagi City official English website.