A Quiet Day

I went by bus to Toshiko’s yesterday. As I walked from the bus in the rain, I noticed an old lady working in the rice field. I was told she would work all day, bent over, standing in water. Her husband wasn’t far away, sitting in a covered farm machine. 

Later, on my way home, Toshiko and I visited Shoko. We had tea with her two visitors, a lovely and interesting young couple. They came to this farming village to escape Tokyo. They produce genmai (brown rice), for which, because of their internet and advertising knowledge , they already have a good market. They were intelligent and delightful.