Looking at Fields While Riding: What the Fields on the Riverbed Taught Me About Living with Wind and Water
I went for a ride on my road bike for the first time in a while. I covered about 30km around the Arakawa River, partly to get some exercise.
However, as I was riding, my usual habit kicked in. I became curious about the fields spreading out along the embankment, and I stopped my bike many times to take pictures.
■ What it means to farm on a riverbed
There are quite a few fields on the Arakawa riverbed. Riding along the top of the embankment, fields with neatly raised ridges appear one after another, and I never tire of looking at them.
However, since I started farming myself, I've realized that this is by no means an easy place to work.
With nothing to block it, the wind hits directly. If heavy rain continues, there is a possibility of flooding. There is little shade, and it is intensely hot in the summer.
My own field doesn't have ideal conditions either, but the riverbed is even more directly exposed to nature. Still, seeing fields that were so well-maintained made me feel humbled.
■ The way they used support poles was incredibly skillful
What caught my eye the most was how the support poles were set up.
It looked like they were assembled not just to support the vegetables, but also to serve as windbreaks and sunshades. They stretch nets and materials across the poles to create walls that weaken the wind and sunlight.
Support poles can be used not only to 'support' but also to 'protect.' They are set up in a direction that acts as a wall against the path of the wind. They can change roles with the seasons, acting as sunshades in the summer and windbreaks in the autumn and winter.
This is something I can easily imitate in my own field. The summer afternoon sun and the strong winds in early autumn—both are weaknesses of my field.
■ Other people's fields are the most accessible textbooks
Researching in books or online is, of course, educational. But nothing is more helpful than fields in the same region and with the same climate.
They are growing vegetables in the same soil, receiving the same rain, and exposed to the same wind. The techniques actually used there will generally work in my field too.
Of course, I don't stare intently or trespass into the fields. I just look from the embankment path and think to myself, 'I see, that's how you do it,' feeling impressed on my own.
■ The Arakawa River after the typhoon and the clear stream
On this day, the Arakawa River was still muddy and rough due to the influence of the typhoon. Seeing the increased volume of water, I truly understood the difficulty of farming on a riverbed.
However, a small stream a little further inland had a completely different look. The green grass on both banks and the gently flowing water. I stopped my bike and stared at it blankly for a while.
A raging large river and a quietly clear small stream. It's amazing how different they can be, even when receiving the same rain.
Fields might be the same way. Even with the same weather, the results can be completely different depending on the location and the care put into them.
When you only look at your own field, your perspective inevitably narrows. I want to look at other people's fields from time to time to make my own field better.