日本最慢新干线站长的有机大米和他妻子的唐饅頭

夏日傍晚，大阪小雨突降，井上植树和我受邀赴他表哥的晚宴。晚宴上表嫂市川提到她故乡宇和島的名产唐饅頭，我立刻联想到唐朝，猜测其名有中国渊源。表嫂见我对此蛮感兴趣，便提议我们去宇和島探个究竟。

A Summer Evening in Osaka, light rain falls as Naoki Inoue and I are Invited to his Cousin's Dinner Party. During the dinner, Inoue's sister-in-law Ichikawa mentions the famous local delicacy "Tou-manju" from her hometown Uwajima. I immediately think of the Tang Dynasty in China and wonder if the name has Chinese origins. Intrigued, Ichikawa suggests we visit Uwajima to investigate.

我们从大阪出发，经过长途跋涉，6月17日周六下午3点，我们来到表嫂家附近，她的爸爸横畠利一开车把我们迎接到他的院子里。横畠利一是位身材高大、两鬓斑白的老者，虽已届花甲之年，但精神矍铄。他热情招待我们进农舍歇息，他妻子则端上了凉爽可口的绿茶和新鲜出炉的唐饅頭。他们在当地组织了十几个女性手工制作唐饅頭，大部分销售给了当地的超市，还获了奖，被刊登在当地的杂志上。

Departing Osaka, after a long journey we arrive at Ichikawa's family home near Uwajima at 3 pm on Saturday, June 17th. Her father, Yokobata Toshikazu, picks us up in his car and welcomes us into his farmstead. Yokobata is a tall, white-haired elder, but remarkably spry despite his advanced age. He warmly invites us inside to rest, while his wife serves us refreshing green tea and freshly baked Tou-manju. The women in their community handmake Tou-manju, selling most to local supermarkets. Their Tou-manju has won awards and been featured in local magazines.

横畠利一娓娓道来，他在退休前是神户新干线的站长，退休后便回老家宇和島经营有机农场。我们吃过美味的唐饅頭，横畠利一便带我们参观他的DIY有机稻田。横畠利一说他们使用鸡粪制成有机肥，并在翻浆时将含矿物质的溶液注入稻田，以活化土壤菌群，使稻根茁壮成长、稻穗结实纹饱，矿物质的注入让稻米吃起来更甜，蒸的米饭更香。他还分享说，每年稻米收割时，都能看到有趣的现象：农户开着收割机收割稻米，白鹤在后面跟着捡拾田蛙和田螺，大自然生物链和谐共处，浑然天成。

Yokobata relates that before retirement, he was a station master for the Shinkansen bullet train in Kobe. Now he runs an organic farm back home in Uwajima. After enjoying the delicious Tou-manju, Yokobata takes us on a tour of his DIY organic rice paddies. He explains they use chicken manure as organic fertilizer, and add mineral solutions when tilling to activate soil microbiota, resulting in robust rice roots and full, flavorful grains. The mineral infusion makes the rice sweeter when eaten and more aromatic when steamed. He shares an amusing annual event - as farmers harvest rice with their combines, white cranes follow behind, snatching up frogs and snails disturbed in the fields. A harmonious balance of nature.

退休后除了种植有机大米，横畠利一还经营了一个“铁道爱好列车”予土線沿線旅游线路，他笑称这是“日本最慢的新干线“。每年都有很多海外游客体验这条最慢的新干线，远离喧嚣，包揽宇和岛乡村田园美景，放慢节奏，回归自然，寻找内心的平静。

In retirement Yokobata also operates a nostalgic sightseeing train along the Yotsu line, joking it's "Japan's Slowest Shinkansen Bullet Train". Every year many foreign tourists ride this slowest of trains, escaping the hustle and bustle, taking in the bucolic scenery of rural Uwajima, slowing down, returning to nature, and finding inner peace.

临走时，我终于轻声问出了一直困扰我的问题——唐饅頭的名字从何而来？横畠利一的妻子表示这种点心源自长崎。长崎是日中交流的最早的窗口，我想我心中已经有了答案。离开时，我心中的疑惑也化为云烟，只剩下对这难忘一天的留恋。

As we depart, I finally softly ask the question that had been nagging me - where does the name Tou-manju come from? Yokobata's wife says the pastry originates from Nagasaki, historically the window into China-Japan exchange, and she imagines the name derives from China's Tang Dynasty. My puzzlement dissolves into mist, leaving only fond memories of this unforgettable day.