With a decrease in the number of tourists due to the new coronavirus pandemic, four elementary school students in Hokkaido got to pick lavender during school hours at a flower field which is usually busy during this season.
The third- and fourth-graders at Ubun elementary school in Nakafurano picked the flowers at the Hokuseiyama lavender field, which canceled its lavender picking activity for tourists and suspended the operation of chairlifts in the field.
The flower picking class, planned by the town's tourism association and the education board, was intended to familiarize children with the regional specialty. Students from Nakafurano junior high school and Nishinaka elementary school had taken part in the picking as well.
Students at Ubun elementary school studied the history of lavender and how to grow it from a worker of Farm Tomita, a separate lavender field. The students will also visit Farm Tomita and give a presentation about lavender before the summer holiday.
None of the four students had ever picked lavender before. "It was my first time to come and see lavender," a third-grader said. "It was more fluffy than expected and smelled nice."
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