I have new respect for the rainy season. I used to hate tsuyu, these dreary weeks of drizzle. But now that I'm a farmer, I see the value of so much rain. I'm farming a bucket of rice on my balcony and can't keep up with the watering.

My new career in agriculture began when I signed up for an excursion with my son's Japanese elementary school. It was a taue taiken -- a "try your hand at rice planting" trip. Since everyone else on the outing would be Japanese, I assumed I'd be the only adult who didn't know how rice is grown. As it turned out, not one of the 60 people in the group had ever set foot in a rice paddy before.

There's strong demand in Japan for opportunities to try your hand at just about anything. There are "make your own tofu" classes, "blow your own glass" workshops and many other kinds of taiken. Rice-planting trips are a popular way to help Japanese get in touch with their rice-growing roots.