仙台 えいごの教室

  It was a breathtaking¹ moment!

  Last Sunday, when Will and I went to a home center to buy some food for Ichigo, the normal scenery² next to the store had been enchanted³ while we were away from it for 2 weeks. A vast yellow golden carpet of rice was spread right in front of us! When we were driving, after turning a corner, this huge bright yellow carpet suddenly appeared in front of us and shocked us. Unreal⁴!!!　(The photo doesn’t show even one-tenth⁵ of the whole picture⁶.)

  For most of the summer, the rice fields are light green, and they are beautiful, but in this season they become really special. And this whole wonderful change looks so precious⁷ that it makes me think that ancient people must have thought that the rice is a blessing⁸ from heaven. They plant the seeds and grow them, and just before harvesting, the rice shines and then provides them with a wonderful staple food⁹. 

  Speaking of the rice harvest, there is a saying which goes "Minoru hodo, kobe wo tareru inaho kana" — if I put it in English, "The more noble the man is, the more humble he is." While I was watching this, this proverb came to mind.

  … while I was checking this proverb in English, I made an amazing discovery. The founder¹⁰ of the camera company Minolta used the meaning  "Minoru ta"( rice fields ready for harvest) from this proverb — even though it is also said the name comes from "Machinery and Instruments Optical by Tashima."

  A rice field is more than just a field, isn’t it?