Ⅴ　日本文化の英語解説　２

２　Taue:田植え（Planting rice plants)：

＊  The Japanese people live on rice.　Taue is planting rice plants. We plant nae (young plants) in the rice field (paddies). Japanese groups and Western individualism mark one of the conspicuous differences between Japanese and Westerns. Rice cultivation (farming) required group efforts in the olden times. Even today neighbors in many villages work together in planting and harvesting their crops. Agriculture demands cooperation, discipline, and a sense of shared fate.　Cooperation is one of the Japanese wisdom. These days machines replace human powers.　

（To be continued）