One well known Japan Facts about Farming is that the Japanese people apply themselves fully to whatever it is that they wish to achieve. I'd heard about how they aim for perfection, especially in the arts, when performing the tea ceremony, controlling each well balanced stroke in calligraphy, or creating a zen-like atmosphere with their beautiful garden layouts. Just recently, I learnt some new Japan facts through a Japanese TV program about Japanese farmers being equally determined and skilled when it comes to managing their crops. What was really interesting and inspiring to see was that a good majority of the farmers are either verging on or past the age of retirement. And yet they continue to farm with a kind of passion that is exciting to see. On top of the energy that they expend on their farming from sunrise to sunset, they do all of it without the aid of machinery. Most of them are down on their hands and knees digging through the soil or yanking some overgrown monster radish out of the ground in which it's buried.

As with farmers in other countries, Japanese farmers enjoy the adventurous lifestyle of chasing around their chickens, milking their cows, or harvesting a new crop of vegetables. One of the pleasures of being a farmer is that they get first pick of　the fresh eggs every morning that they use for their own breakfast, along with a glass of fresh milk, and new steamed rice. They are very humble about what they do and are grateful for such a simple yet grueling lifestyle, far from the reaches of the big technologically advanced city. Visiting a Japanese farm really is like being transported back in time. With all the old fashioned chicken coops, rickety barns, and classic tools of the trade.

When popular TV show hosts venture off into farm country to do a special on farm life or to see how the crops are doing at any particular time, the farmers welcome them for an amusing tour. Most of the farmers that I've seen on the TV are not only hospitable but also seem to have a healthy sense of humor. They really look like they're happily content with their lives and are eager to share that happiness with the people around them. They know everyone in their community and, in turn, everyone else knows and responds to them with a big grin and some lengthy chatter. Although they are living quite far out and on average aren't familiar with the way things go in the big city, that doesn't make them nervous or shy around the camera crew. That's a good thing for me because I really enjoy these types of TV programs that follow Japanese craftsmen, fishermen, farmers and so on as they go about their regular routines.

With Japanese farmers sticking to the tools and practices that they've become accustomed to over a great deal of time, their farming methods and the devices that they use are somewhat behind that of other countries. However, this doesn't stop them from getting things done or from experimenting with their crops. The results are no less fascinating than the number of features they continue to bestow upon their ultra-handy cell phones.

One such experiment took place a number of years ago with watermelons being the focus of some creative tweaking. Now that I've mentioned watermelons you might know where I'm going with this. Perhaps you've had the good fortune of seeing a real square watermelon up close in one of the major department stores. You won't see it in a regular supermarket because it's of a higher grade and price than regular watermelons. The first time I saw a square watermelon in Daimaru department store I thought that it was the funniest thing! Why, I thought to myself, would someone go out of their way to grow a watermelon into a square? And with it being more expensive than regular watermelons, why would anyone buy it? I puzzled over this as I read over the process for how these watermelons end up square. Growing these square watermelons is a lot more work and costly for farmers. While they are still growing on the vine, farmers insert the watermelons into tempered, square glass cases, which force the watermelons to pop out square in the end. Although this might seem like some kind of fashion trend it is actually done (and is quite a successfully grown and sold product) for practical purposes. Think of the size of the average American fridge versus the size of an average Japanese fridge. I don't know about you but my fridge space was reduced by 70% when I gave up my Canadian fridge and moved to Japan. That means that I'm shopping everyday for fresh groceries and really have no room for frivolous items (ignoring the stack of Kit Kat bars I managed to jam in between shelves).

Less space equals square watermelons? The exact size and dimensions of the square watermelon were fixed so that they would fit into the average Japanese fridge. It's no accident that you can slide that box-shaped refreshing fruit onto the top or bottom shelf of your fridge. That's probably the biggest reason why the square watermelon is so popular. There's nothing better than a juicy watermelon cut straight from the fridge. I'm especially excited to have learnt the reason for the square shaped watermelon because now I can share this interesting Japan fact with Japanese friends that weren't aware of it. I've successfully surprised four people so far who had no idea that there was an actual purpose behind the square shapes.

Okay, so if you literally wanted to visit a Japanese farm you would need to maybe travel out into the wilderness and take a few days off, right? Not necessarily... I was thinking that it would be really interesting to see a Japanese farm house etc. up close and was searching through a few sites on the Internet to find the closest farm to Osaka City. As I went through the search engine, I found a few fascinating blogs of people who had gone to a farm as part of a tour or home stay. And somewhere in between those blogs I discovered the Osaka Open-Air Museum of Old Japanese Farm Houses.

The museum is located in Minami-Senri on the Hankyu line, about a 30 minute walk from the station. To get to it you'll need to pay a 500 yen admission fee to enter the Hattori Ryokuchi Park that houses the museum. You'll also need to arrive early because the hours are from 9:30AM - 5:00PM. A little bit off from my regular sleeping hours but well worth it. All of the buildings are situated outside in an airy, natural environment. It is surrounded by bamboo gardens, rolling hills, various forms of shrubbery, bamboo trees, tennis courts, and a horseback riding center. Just by glancing at the pictures I think that going to this museum will provide more than enough excitement for a satisfying day trip. You'll be able to see 12 different styles of farmhouses from various regions of Japan that were preserved in their original forms. They were carefully moved to the museum in order to keep the original structure intact and authentic. Having been built during the Edo Period (1700-1900) they are all quite old. Depending on the weather this weekend, I might pay the museum a visit on my day.

Okay, so now that you've heard a bit about Japanese farms, farmers, and square watermelons, I'll bet that you're excited to learn more about how the farms operate on a daily basis. Maybe you're an outdoors type of person that is really eager to try something adventurous like actually stay on a farm in Japan as part of a home stay. Well, not really a home stay, some people like to call it a farm stay.

There are a few courses and plans available for foreigners that would wish to experience the Japanese farm life. Some of these include learning Japanese while staying on the farm so it really seems like an exciting opportunity to learn about the out-of-city areas of Japan. One company offers a farm stay that will cater to your individual desires and needs. You can stay as long as up to 6 months at the one farm or move onto other ones, depending on how much you enjoy traveling. These courses are partially organized by the Willing Workers On Organic Farms (WWOOF) Japan. If you do choose to take a course that involves learning Japanese, you will learn an abundance of useful information on Japanese customs, farming practices, the history of farming, and casual conversation. Since you will be far from the city in a remote area, you will probably adapt quicker to both the farm life and the Japanese language by completely immersing yourself in both. What better way to spend your summer vacation than by visiting a Japanese farm for a couple of weeks? You'll surely be eating fresh fruits and vegetables during your stay.

As for organic farms, there are quite a number of them in Japan, more than I originally imagined. A lot of chickens are raised organically and are kept on a strict and safe diet that produces tastier and healthier eggs. The chickens also tend to be happier according to many farmers that swear that there is positive karma between themselves and their animals. A happy chicken is a tasty chicken... right? Many fruits and vegetables also come from organic farms. This is great because I don't have to worry about pesticides or other harmful ingredients floating in my fruit salad. My mother has always insisted on organically grown fruits and vegetables and I must admit that she is right that they both look and taste excellent.

With a good majority of Japanese farmers being well into their 60's and 70's (and it isn't so rare to find ones in their 80's and 90's either), continuing farming at such an age can become very difficult and stressful. While Japanese farmers put forth the same amount of effort into their crops at the age of 80 that they would at the age of 20, they are faced with decreased endurance, energy, and greater risk of injury. You wouldn't know it by watching some of these farmers going about their daily chores but age does begin to take its toll on the body. Perhaps that's why researchers at the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology thought it worthwhile to design an exoskeleton to aid the aging farming population in their work.

But before you start to think back to the world of cyborgs and grimace at the thought of a human hybrid like the Terminator raking up the rice fields, take comfort in the knowledge that these exoskeleton suits are nothing but what they say they are. They would be worn by farmers like a high-tech mecha suit that would enable the suit-wearers (regardless of age or size) to lift very heavy items. Because the suits are only controlled by the wearer and would be doing all the lifting, there would be nearly no risk of back strain or injuries. Better yet, Japanese farmers would be able to catch up to the speed and efficiency in which farmers in other countries tend to their crops thanks to this new technology.

It's hard to imagine seeing an elderly Japanese farmer that has been tending to the land and animals with a humble yet strong pride suddenly geared up in a robotic looking combat suit. At least that's what I thought it looked like when I first caught a glimpse of the preview photo. But then again, it does seem to fit considering that Japan is full of all sorts of wonders and technology. I can't wait to see some of these exoskeletons in action!

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