Women in Ehime Prefecture use a rice thresher to separate the rice kernels from the stalks in this photo taken in late October, 1974.  (Currently, Japanese farmers use much more efficient machinery for rice farming.)  The household is working as a team: husband (not pictured), wife and husband's mother.  While technology has changed, family farming remains as one of the largest sectors of Japan's agricultural economy.   Students can compare this image with farming and agriculture in the United States from the 1970s and today.

Photo courtesy of Gail Bernstein.