Field & Paddy Updates

Unarmed and Defeated: The Potato Massacre

"Well, at least no bears showed up, so I guess I should count my blessings" — that's what the old-timer nearby said. I visited my family home in Ōkuwa for the first time in a week. In the back field, I'd planted potatoes and taros. This spring I'd already spotted three wild boar piglets, and the area nearby had already been dug up, so I'd been on edge wondering when my potatoes would get hit. A week ago everything was fine, but when I checked today, it was all wiped out, root and all — not a single potato left, the whole field left in ruins.
The old-timer's field is fully enclosed with corrugated tin sheeting and lined with three rows of electric wire, keeping both the wild boars and the raccoon dogs at bay, he told me. When I mentioned that my defenseless potatoes had been wiped out, his reply felt less like sympathy and more like a scolding. Fair enough — completely unguarded. A total defeat. If I'm going to set up tin sheeting and electric wire for next year, it'll probably run me tens of thousands of yen.July 7, 2026