Buitsu san is harvesting his kome (rice) at the moment.  I gave him a hand.  The kome had already been cut and bound and hung from bamboo drying racks.  It is important for rice to dry out.  We then used a kikai (machine) to separate the grains from the stalks.  The kikai also shoots the grains into sacks that we poured into another huge kikai in Buitsu san’s garage.  He has lots of machines, it’s incredible.  I noticed how he had raised the entire machine on blocks of wood to facilitate the pouring of the grain into the kikai’s funnel.  This machine must weigh a ton at least, so it’s an impressive thing to follow through with.  I’m learning that Buitsu san is a very efficient person.

Below is a small kikai that measures the moisture content of the rice.

A small plate of rice is inserted into the kikai and the handle is turned to compress the rice grains slightly.

The digital readout gives you the data – in this case a high pitched Japanese voice told us that ‘I’m sorry, your rice is not yet dry enough, please dry your rice a little bit longer so that it tastes much more delicious.  Thank you very much’.  Not really but i’m positive you can buy kikai like this in Japan.

So the rice isn’t dry enough.  The sacks of grains go into Buitsu san’s massive kikai in his garage (see the blocks of wood)

This kikai is a huge dehumidifier.  It works in two stages, first heating up the grains, then cooling them down with wind.

It was thirsty work so we made sure to drink lots of beer and shochu to stay hydrated.