① Harvest
When the autumn wind blows across the rice fields, the rice slowly bows its head, as if to say, “I'm ready now.”
When the combine harvester comes close, the rice sways and rustles, and the golden field moves like waves on the sea.
The harvested rice is still wrapped in its hard husks, like a sleeping baby.
② Drying
Inside the dryer, the rice slowly adjusts its moisture.
It must not get too hot.
It must not be rushed.
Just like a parent carefully checking the water before giving a baby a bath, the farmer watches the temperature and drying time closely.
If the process is rushed, the rice can be damaged.
③ Husking
As the rice passes between the rubber rollers, the husks gently come off, and the brown rice shows its “true face” for the first time.
Some grains still have a little green color.
Some are beautifully colored after receiving plenty of sunlight.
Others still show tiny marks left by insects.
The whole story of the year appears here, all at once.
④ Removing Foreign Matter
Small stones and pebbles from the rice field may be mixed in with the brown rice.
The stone remover gently separates them and sends the rice on its way, as if saying,
“From here, go on as rice alone.”
⑤ Sorting the Brown Rice
A grading machine sorts the grains by size, and a color sorter uses light to select the good grains.
But the grains that are not selected are never simply thrown away.
Some are used to make our homemade miso.
Others become feed for the ducks.
Each one goes on to a different story.
⑥ Polishing
When the brown rice enters the polishing machine, the bran layer is slowly removed, and the white grain appears.
It is like taking off a kimono and putting on a beautiful new one.
And so, the “white rice” that reaches our table is born.