Here is the end-of-the-year report from the Kokoro Media field. Last time, Masamichi, the organic farmer, showed us how to select the most vigorous plants just by looking at the buds. This time, he shows us how the plants have grown, and tells us about the importance of making good soil for organic farming. More…
Culture Shock: Dealing with Your Own Foreignness
“One day in Spain, I stepped into a puddle and just burst into tears. There was no reason for a puddle to have such an intense effect on me, but I now recognize that as being at my low point in culture shock during study abroad.” 19-year-old me smugly listened to this story by my…
Gary Luscombe: Crossing Cultures to Work in the Japanese Hospitality Industry
The traditional inn—the ryokan—is where Japan’s rich history intersects with the unparalleled hospitality and customer service that the country is known for. Steeped in tradition, it’s hard to imagine what it would be like to work at a ryokan as a foreign resident of Japan. Thankfully, Gary Luscombe, who works at Amami Onsen Nanten-en, has…
Inami, the Japanese Woodcarvers’ Town
Inami is a town of 8,000 inhabitants located in Toyama Prefecture. With more than a hundred sculptors’ workshops, it is said to be the number one city for sculptors in Japan. After moving there in 2016, architect Tomotsugu Yamakawa decided to turn part of his recently refurbished house into an accommodation for visitors to use…
Selecting the Most Vigorous Plants
Here is our monthly report from the Kokoro Media field! (You can find the previous episodes of our remote farming project here.) Last time, organic farmer Masamichi harvested edamame and gave us tips about shiso. Since then, he has cleaned the field to grow the vegetables you selected in our last survey! In this new video,…
Akiya – Causes and Measures of Vacant Houses in Japan
“Akiya” is the Japanese term for “vacant house”, whose number has been increasing more and more during the last few years and has become a societal issue, especially in rural Japan. Read on learn about the diverse causes behind this phenomenon, and some hints at solving it. This article was kindly provided to Kokoro Media…
Harvesting Edamame at Higa Farm
Here is our monthly report from the Kokoro Media field! (You can find the previous episodes of our remote farming project here.) Last time, our friend, organic farmer Masamichi, explained to us how to water vegetables the right way so that they can survive the Japanese summer heat. He also showed us the growing fruits of…
What Vegetables Do YOU Want Us to Sow?
As you know, Kokoro Media is renting a small parcel of land at the Japanese organic farm Higa Farm to grow vegetables. (If you do not know about this project, you can find the details here.) It is soon time to sow seeds for autumn and winter, and once again, we would like to involve…
Tending Vegetables in the Japanese Heat
Here is the new episode of the Kokoro Media remote farming project which involves you, readers! (You can find our previous episodes here.) Last month, Japanese organic farmer Masamichi showed us how fast plants had grown and the consequences of the rainy season. Now that the rainy season is over, how do you tend the vegetables in…
The Small Peanut Butter Company That Wants to Inspire Japan
Go Nakano is the CEO and a founder member of Happy Nuts Day, a company that produces peanut butter made with peanuts from Chiba Prefecture. Go used to work for a big advertising company but decided to leave and create Happy Nuts Day with his skateboarding friends. His aim: to build a company and create…