Rice Field Olympics 2026 Held in Sayama: Fostering Parent-Child Bonds Through Agricultural Experience with Rugby Players
On May 17, 2026, the 'Rice Field Olympics 2026' was held in the Okutomi district of Sayama City. Twenty pairs totaling 42 parents and children participated, enjoying sports in the pre-planted rice paddies alongside players from the Sayama Secom Rugguts. The event is part of the year-long 'Okutomi Rice Field Project,' which aims to teach the importance of agricultural resources, foster a love for the local community, and cultivate an appreciation for food.
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- 📰 Published: May 24, 2026 at 01:38
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Through the competitions, children were able to interact with the players of the Sayama Secom Rugguts, a Japan Rugby League One Division 3 team.
On May 17, 2026, the 'Rice Field Olympics 2026' was held in the Okutomi district of Sayama City, providing an opportunity for parents and children to deepen their bonds through agricultural experiences. Together with the players of the Sayama Secom Rugguts, 20 pairs consisting of 42 parents and children took on various challenges in the rice paddies before planting.
The event was blessed with fine weather and concluded successfully with many smiles, thanks to the cooperation of numerous local organizations and participants.
Overview of Rice Field Olympics 2026
- Date and Time: Sunday, May 17, 2026, 10:00 - 13:00
- Location: Rice paddies in front of Okutomi Elementary School
- Eligibility: Corporations and parents and children living in the city
- Participation Fee: 1,500 yen per parent-child pair (1 adult and 1 child), 300 yen per junior high school student
Main Activities
Parent-child rugby ball passing - High ball chase - Tag rugby in the rice field - Tug-of-war with rugby players
This event is not just a sports tournament, but a place to learn the importance of local agricultural resources and a valuable opportunity to experience the entire process of rice farming. Through rice planting experiences, harvesting, and tasting the rice during the harvest season, participants can cultivate a sense of gratitude for food. We sincerely look forward to the participation of many people next time.
Co-organizers
Okutomi District Center, Sunpark Okutomi (external site), Youth Development Okutomi Regional Council
Cooperation
Rice paddy landowners/cultivators, agricultural producers, Utsutteru Kai (community center usage group), Okutomi Scarecrow Festival Executive Committee, Okutomi Elementary School PTA, Sayama Secom Rugguts
Sayama Secom Rugguts and Sayama City
On Monday, November 6, 2023, Sayama City concluded a 'Basic Agreement on Comprehensive Hometown Partnership Collaboration' with Secom Co., Ltd.
This agreement was concluded with the aim of developing a vibrant and attractive local community by further strengthening coordination with the Secom Co., Ltd. Rugby Club 'Sayama Secom Rugguts', which belongs to Japan Rugby League One Division 3 and is based in Sayama City, and by promoting comprehensive and continuous collaboration in various fields of community development centered on sports.
In addition, the Secom Rugby Stadium (tentative name) is scheduled to be completed in Sayama City on November 30, 2026.
A promotion/relegation match for promotion to League One Division 2 will be held on May 31, 2026.
Okutomi Rice Field 1-Year Project
The 'Okutomi Rice Field 1-Year Project' is being implemented in the Okutomi district, where rice farming is the most active in Sayama City.
Beginning with the 'Rice Field Olympics', playing in the mud in the rice paddies before planting, many people will be able to enjoy and deliciously experience a year of rice farming, including planting, harvesting, and tasting.
Rice is one of the indispensable staple foods for us Japanese. Although we casually eat rice every day, farmers put a lot of effort into producing it. From preparing the paddy fields, selecting seed rice, mowing grass, planting rice, draining water, controlling pests and harmful animals, harvesting, and threshing, almost a whole year is spent on many processes. There are farmers in Okutomi who willingly cooperate despite such arduous farm work.
This is not something you can naturally experience anywhere at any time. It is a very valuable opportunity, so it is a project where adults who want to learn how rice is made, and parents and children who want to think about food education together, can learn enjoyably.
Okutomi Rice Field Olympics 2026
In the rice paddies of the Okutomi district, a rice-producing area in the city, we aim to deepen interaction among participants and foster local love through playing in the mud, which also serves as 'shirokaki' (puddling) work to soften the soil and make it easier to plant seedlings before rice planting.
- Date and Time: Sunday, May 17, 2026, from 10:00 to 13:00
- Location: Rice paddies in front of Okutomi Elementary School
Rice Farming Experience
This is a traditional rice planting experience where you enter the rice paddy with the farmers and plant seedlings by hand. By planting them one by one in the rice paddy, you will experience the hardships of rice farming. And in the long-awaited autumn harvest season, you will experience rice harvesting using traditional sickles. We hope that through the rice farming experience, a feeling of gratitude for food will be fostered.
- Application Period: From 9:00 on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, to 17:00 on Tuesday, June 2, 2026
- Participation Fee: 1,000 yen *Includes rice planting experience, harvesting experience, insurance, and 1 kilogram of rice (Sainokizuna)
- Location: Rice paddies in front of Okutomi Elementary School
- Capacity: 15 pairs (in principle, parent and child *1 adult and 1 child) *Elementary school students and younger must be accompanied by an adult (participation in rice planting is not mandatory)
Rice Planting Experience
- Date and Time: Sunday, June 7, 2026, from 10:00 to 12:00*
Rice Harvesting Experience
- Date and Time: Sunday, September 27, 2026, scheduled from 10:00 to 12:00 *Subject to change depending on weather conditions
Source
Sayama City Hall
On May 17, 2026, the 'Rice Field Olympics 2026' was held in the Okutomi district of Sayama City, providing an opportunity for parents and children to deepen their bonds through agricultural experiences. Together with the players of the Sayama Secom Rugguts, 20 pairs consisting of 42 parents and children took on various challenges in the rice paddies before planting.
The event was blessed with fine weather and concluded successfully with many smiles, thanks to the cooperation of numerous local organizations and participants.
Overview of Rice Field Olympics 2026
- Date and Time: Sunday, May 17, 2026, 10:00 - 13:00
- Location: Rice paddies in front of Okutomi Elementary School
- Eligibility: Corporations and parents and children living in the city
- Participation Fee: 1,500 yen per parent-child pair (1 adult and 1 child), 300 yen per junior high school student
Main Activities
Parent-child rugby ball passing - High ball chase - Tag rugby in the rice field - Tug-of-war with rugby players
This event is not just a sports tournament, but a place to learn the importance of local agricultural resources and a valuable opportunity to experience the entire process of rice farming. Through rice planting experiences, harvesting, and tasting the rice during the harvest season, participants can cultivate a sense of gratitude for food. We sincerely look forward to the participation of many people next time.
Co-organizers
Okutomi District Center, Sunpark Okutomi (external site), Youth Development Okutomi Regional Council
Cooperation
Rice paddy landowners/cultivators, agricultural producers, Utsutteru Kai (community center usage group), Okutomi Scarecrow Festival Executive Committee, Okutomi Elementary School PTA, Sayama Secom Rugguts
Sayama Secom Rugguts and Sayama City
On Monday, November 6, 2023, Sayama City concluded a 'Basic Agreement on Comprehensive Hometown Partnership Collaboration' with Secom Co., Ltd.
This agreement was concluded with the aim of developing a vibrant and attractive local community by further strengthening coordination with the Secom Co., Ltd. Rugby Club 'Sayama Secom Rugguts', which belongs to Japan Rugby League One Division 3 and is based in Sayama City, and by promoting comprehensive and continuous collaboration in various fields of community development centered on sports.
In addition, the Secom Rugby Stadium (tentative name) is scheduled to be completed in Sayama City on November 30, 2026.
A promotion/relegation match for promotion to League One Division 2 will be held on May 31, 2026.
Okutomi Rice Field 1-Year Project
The 'Okutomi Rice Field 1-Year Project' is being implemented in the Okutomi district, where rice farming is the most active in Sayama City.
Beginning with the 'Rice Field Olympics', playing in the mud in the rice paddies before planting, many people will be able to enjoy and deliciously experience a year of rice farming, including planting, harvesting, and tasting.
Rice is one of the indispensable staple foods for us Japanese. Although we casually eat rice every day, farmers put a lot of effort into producing it. From preparing the paddy fields, selecting seed rice, mowing grass, planting rice, draining water, controlling pests and harmful animals, harvesting, and threshing, almost a whole year is spent on many processes. There are farmers in Okutomi who willingly cooperate despite such arduous farm work.
This is not something you can naturally experience anywhere at any time. It is a very valuable opportunity, so it is a project where adults who want to learn how rice is made, and parents and children who want to think about food education together, can learn enjoyably.
Okutomi Rice Field Olympics 2026
In the rice paddies of the Okutomi district, a rice-producing area in the city, we aim to deepen interaction among participants and foster local love through playing in the mud, which also serves as 'shirokaki' (puddling) work to soften the soil and make it easier to plant seedlings before rice planting.
- Date and Time: Sunday, May 17, 2026, from 10:00 to 13:00
- Location: Rice paddies in front of Okutomi Elementary School
Rice Farming Experience
This is a traditional rice planting experience where you enter the rice paddy with the farmers and plant seedlings by hand. By planting them one by one in the rice paddy, you will experience the hardships of rice farming. And in the long-awaited autumn harvest season, you will experience rice harvesting using traditional sickles. We hope that through the rice farming experience, a feeling of gratitude for food will be fostered.
- Application Period: From 9:00 on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, to 17:00 on Tuesday, June 2, 2026
- Participation Fee: 1,000 yen *Includes rice planting experience, harvesting experience, insurance, and 1 kilogram of rice (Sainokizuna)
- Location: Rice paddies in front of Okutomi Elementary School
- Capacity: 15 pairs (in principle, parent and child *1 adult and 1 child) *Elementary school students and younger must be accompanied by an adult (participation in rice planting is not mandatory)
Rice Planting Experience
- Date and Time: Sunday, June 7, 2026, from 10:00 to 12:00*
Rice Harvesting Experience
- Date and Time: Sunday, September 27, 2026, scheduled from 10:00 to 12:00 *Subject to change depending on weather conditions
Source
Sayama City Hall
FAQ
What do participants do at the Rice Field Olympics?
They enjoy mud sports such as rugby passing and tug-of-war in a rice paddy before planting.
Who can participate?
It is primarily aimed at parents and children living in Sayama City.
What is the Okutomi rice field project?
A year-long food education project covering mud-playing, planting, harvesting, and tasting.