diff --git a/compiler/src/main/cpp/capnpc-java.c++ b/compiler/src/main/cpp/capnpc-java.c++
index 8b96305..dfc6486 100644
--- a/compiler/src/main/cpp/capnpc-java.c++
+++ b/compiler/src/main/cpp/capnpc-java.c++
@@ -969,7 +969,8 @@ private:
           spaces(indent), "    return !_builder.getPointerField(", offset, ").isNull();\n",
           spaces(indent), "  }\n",
           spaces(indent), "  public final ", type, ".Builder get", titleCase, "() {\n",
-          spaces(indent), "    throw new Error();\n",
+          spaces(indent), "    return _builder.getPointerField(",
+          offset, ").get", blobKind, " ();\n", // XXX
           spaces(indent), "  }\n",
           spaces(indent), "  public final void set", titleCase, "(", type, ".Reader value) {\n",
           unionDiscrim.set,
diff --git a/compiler/src/test/scala/org/capnproto/TestUtil.scala b/compiler/src/test/scala/org/capnproto/TestUtil.scala
index 0d539bf..6dba625 100644
--- a/compiler/src/test/scala/org/capnproto/TestUtil.scala
+++ b/compiler/src/test/scala/org/capnproto/TestUtil.scala
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ object TestUtil {
     assert(builder.getUInt64Field() == 0x1234567890123456L);
     assert(builder.getFloat32Field() == 1234.5f);
     assert(builder.getFloat64Field() == -123e45);
-    //assert(builder.getTextField().toString() == "foo");
+    assert(builder.getTextField().toString() == "foo");
 
     {
       val subBuilder = builder.getStructField();
diff --git a/runtime/src/main/java/org/capnproto/PointerBuilder.java b/runtime/src/main/java/org/capnproto/PointerBuilder.java
index 187e380..e942add 100644
--- a/runtime/src/main/java/org/capnproto/PointerBuilder.java
+++ b/runtime/src/main/java/org/capnproto/PointerBuilder.java
@@ -21,6 +21,15 @@ public final class PointerBuilder {
         return WireHelpers.getWritableStructPointer(this.pointer, this.segment, size);
     }
 
+    public final Text.Builder getText() {
+        return WireHelpers.getWritableTextPointer(
+            this.pointer, this.segment);
+    }
+
+    public final Data.Builder getData() {
+        throw new Error("unimplemented");
+    }
+
     public final StructBuilder initStruct(StructSize size) {
         return WireHelpers.initStructPointer(this.pointer, this.segment, size);
     }
diff --git a/runtime/src/main/java/org/capnproto/Text.java b/runtime/src/main/java/org/capnproto/Text.java
index 9ed8dc1..51edafa 100644
--- a/runtime/src/main/java/org/capnproto/Text.java
+++ b/runtime/src/main/java/org/capnproto/Text.java
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package org.capnproto;
 
 import java.nio.ByteBuffer;
+import java.nio.charset.StandardCharsets;
 
 public final class Text {
 
@@ -17,7 +18,7 @@ public final class Text {
 
         public Reader(String value) {
             try {
-                byte[] bytes = value.getBytes("UTF-8");
+                byte[] bytes = value.getBytes(StandardCharsets.UTF_8.name());
                 this.buffer = ByteBuffer.wrap(bytes);
                 this.offset = 0;
                 this.size = bytes.length;
@@ -34,7 +35,7 @@ public final class Text {
             this.buffer.get(bytes, 0, this.size);
 
             try {
-                return new String(bytes, "UTF-8");
+                return new String(bytes, StandardCharsets.UTF_8.name());
             } catch (java.io.UnsupportedEncodingException e) {
                 return "unsupported encoding"; // XXX
             }
@@ -54,6 +55,21 @@ public final class Text {
             this.offset = offset;
             this.size = size;
         }
+
+        @Override
+        public final String toString() {
+            byte[] bytes = new byte[this.size];
+
+            this.buffer.position(this.offset);
+            this.buffer.get(bytes, 0, this.size);
+
+            try {
+                return new String(bytes, StandardCharsets.UTF_8.name());
+            } catch (java.io.UnsupportedEncodingException e) {
+                return "unsupported encoding"; // XXX
+            }
+        }
+
     }
 
 }
diff --git a/runtime/src/main/java/org/capnproto/WireHelpers.java b/runtime/src/main/java/org/capnproto/WireHelpers.java
index cf0812b..81bf98c 100644
--- a/runtime/src/main/java/org/capnproto/WireHelpers.java
+++ b/runtime/src/main/java/org/capnproto/WireHelpers.java
@@ -124,6 +124,33 @@ final class WireHelpers {
         return builder;
     }
 
+    public static Text.Builder getWritableTextPointer(int refOffset,
+                                                      SegmentBuilder segment) {
+        long ref = WirePointer.get(segment.buffer, refOffset);
+
+        if (WirePointer.isNull(ref)) {
+            // TODO default values
+            return new Text.Builder(null, 0, 0);
+        }
+
+        int refTarget = WirePointer.target(refOffset, ref);
+        int ptr = refTarget;
+
+        if (WirePointer.kind(ref) != WirePointer.LIST) {
+            throw new DecodeException("Called getText{Field,Element} but existing pointer is not a list.");
+        }
+        if (ListPointer.elementSize(WirePointer.listPointer(ref)) != FieldSize.BYTE) {
+            throw new DecodeException(
+                "Called getText{Field,Element} but existing list pointer is not byte-sized.");
+        }
+
+
+        //# Subtract 1 from the size for the NUL terminator.
+        return new Text.Builder(segment.buffer, ptr * 8,
+                                ListPointer.elementCount(WirePointer.listPointer(ref)) - 1);
+
+    }
+
     public static StructReader readStructPointer(SegmentReader segment,
                                                  int refOffset,
                                                  int nestingLimit) {