Despite what some non-believers say, this blog is happening.

I've just been tired from laboring in rice fields, geez.

I'm currently at Yamabiko Farm in Hitachioota, Ibaraki prefecture. So anyone who wants to hunt me down can find me here. Good luck.

It's mainly a rice farm, but also has an ambiguous cafe or two, a fish farm, and probably more I've yet to discover.

When I arrived late after missing my train, I was flagged down by an enthusiastic station employee and directed to wait to be picked up. My host eventually arrived, but instead of taking me to her house, took me to a tea party in a rose garden.

It was quite a lovely affair with roll cakes and melon and "local specialties" and the wife of a dead senator and two sisters and why we were there I did not know. Then everyone viewed roses for probably an hour. Everyone I've met loves roses intensely. It's a little strange.

Here's a lovely rose. I got bored of remarking how lovely all the roses were and just started picture-taking. After tea party, we didn't even go home. Instead we went to this other woman's house. She was with my host when I was picked up. Well, at her house guess what we did...looked at more roses.

So finally when I got to where I'm staying, it was dinner time, so I guess I'm lucky I didn't have to work on my first day. I met my host's twenty year old lazy son, his hairdresser girlfriend, and many an animal. There are two cats here, Ten-ten and Bibi. Also, two dogs, Lulu and Pocchi. I think Pocchi feels left out having a not-double name. Pinpin would fit right in.

Ten-ten is a little rascal and bites and scratches and wants to play constantly. Until she falls asleep and is adorable.

I've started filming, but of course I have no evidence of that since it's all on tapes. But it has happened. Work-wise, I've potted some marigolds, planted some egg plant, transported some compost, planted some rice, weeded some rice fields, done a lot of cooking help, and cleaned the tub room. The hours a longer here than other places I've stayed, and I'm very tired by evening, but today is my day off, and I only have two more days left. Entirely manageable. I might not have any time to blog until I'm headed north to Sapporo, but don't disparage, oh three readers.