David's Page
David's baby
Hello! My name is David Belcheff. 
I teach English at Nabari High School with
Mr. Hirayama. These are pictures from a special experience: planting and
harvesting rice. Mr. Hirayama invited my wife and me to join his family in
hand planting a small, triangular paddy in his home village, Ichishi-cho.
He told us that the Japanese spirit of cooperation begins in the rice field.
Because the water flows through everyones' fields, you have to get along with
your neighbors if you want to continue getting water! We enjoyed planting
so much, that when it came time to harvest, some of our friends wanted to
come, too.
It only took two hours with such a big crew. During a short
break, Mr. Hirayama's father told us some local legends. The elder Hirayama-
san co-authored a book of stories from the area. He told us the story
about how the nearby Hakusan Shrine was established.
After harvesting, we all took a trip to the beautiful shrine, where Mr. Kiyomizu, the priest there,
told us more about it. We were all very happy to particiapate in the rice
farming and thereby gain a glimpse into the heart of Japanese culture.
Mr. Hirayama and I are both interested in ways to protect the environment
and also in ways to help children grow healthy, confident, and responsible.
If you would like to share any lesson plans or ideas about these topics, we
would be most appreciative. Thank you for reading this homepage!