My first experience with agriculture began in Minabe, Wakayama, Japan’s leading producer of ume (Japanese plums). What started as a summer volunteer trip quickly became a glimpse into a way of life far from the city pace I was used to.

Each June, as the rainy season arrives, farmers here harvest ume, not the sweet plums found in the West, but sour fruits that become umeboshi (pickled plums), juice, or umeshu, a fragrant plum liquor.

Days were spent climbing ladders, reaching through branches, and carefully handling each fruit as we filled crate after crate. The work was demanding, but the breaks, sharing homemade umeboshi rice balls under the trees, made it all the more rewarding.

Though I only stayed for eight days, witnessing the farmers’ rhythm and care taught me how patience and time shape the things we create.

These photos capture that brief, humbling experience of effort, connection, and the quiet beauty of harvest.