Rice selected based on three factors, varietal x region x farmer, to the rhythm of the traditional Japanese microseasonal calendar.
The calendar informs us the flavors, fragrances, and textures that taste best to us, and how they pair with the climate, cooking method, and ingredients of the microseason.
After four years, I had created 100 different rice blends.
This project was born from my absolute adoration and overflowing respect for rice and its significance in Japanese culture.
Rice is the staple of the Japanese table. It is a given that rice is delicious in Japan, but the amount of knowledge around the breadth and depth of rice was, and frankly still is, desperately low. There are more than 400 different varietals of rice grown in Japan alone, yet most Japanese people can only name a single handful at most.
As a massive consumer product, in Japan, and in many parts of the world, the power of rice is very real. And thus, its weighty role in the overall global food system. The more we know about rice, the more we participate in environmental responsibility and cultural preservation.
That said, this was quite the uphill journey. Rice is white or brown, and isn’t very photogenic in this highly photo-sensitive modern world we live. It is adjacent to politics, financial markets, big agriculture, big pharma, even. Conventional farming that degrades the earth, pollutes our waters, and affects the livelihood of our fellow fauna and flora, is the most common option in Japan. However this wasn’t always the case. Of the 2000+ years that we have harvested rice, it’s only been in the past 1.5 generations that chemical-use became the norm. So… all we have to do, is go back to how we had always done it. Lean on the wisdom that is traditional Japanese natural farming. Yet many farmers had forgotten that this is possible.
It also came with much greater joys. Spending quality time with farmers, from snowy Hokkaido to tropical Okinawa, hearing their stories, learning their methods, and having the great privilege of receiving a piece of their wisdom. I met with fishermen, hunters, artisans, fermenters, and architects, who all shared how important rice is to their lifework. It became clear very quickly that rice is the backbone of Japanese culture, not just in food, but in weaving clothes, building homes, and repairing wares.
These conversations planted in my mind, a seed that was nurtured into a strong seedling. It’s the Japanese art of regenerative living. A set of tools that have been derived from the relationship between the traditional microseasonal calendar and the fundamental pillars of Japanese living. Tools that navigate us to realize our most satisfying life. To the kind of life that the rice farmers introduced me.
So I thank you. Each of you, all around the world, who have generously supported this project of mine to strengthen our relationship with rice. Because for me, and for many of my friends, rice really is life.
