Rooted in Rice | 3,000 Years of Japanese Culture, Landscape & Identity

Join Dr. Yo-Ichiro Sato for an exploration of how rice has shaped Japan's landscape, society, and food traditions over 3,000 years. This webinar delves into the history of wet-rice cultivation, the satoyama tradition, and the principle of shindōfuji. Dr. Sato will discuss how Japan's environment was engineered through human ingenuity and the evolution of rice cultivation in modern Japan.

Join renowned rice researcher Dr. Yo-Ichiro Sato for a fascinating exploration of how rice has shaped Japan’s landscape, society, and food traditions for more than 3,000 years. As the foundation of washoku (traditional Japanese cuisine), rice is far more than a simple staple food. This webinar illuminates the history of wet-rice cultivation in Japan, the satoyama tradition of living in harmony with nature, and the principle of shindōfuji (“body and soil as one”), which emphasizes the deep connection between people and their local environment. For centuries, Japanese society struggled with rice scarcity, reshaping the landscape through water management, flood control, and agricultural innovation to meet the needs of what has been called a “rice-yearning people.” Dr. Sato reveals how Japan’s environment, often described as naturally suited to rice cultivation, was in fact carefully engineered through generations of human ingenuity, supported by high levels of literacy, technical knowledge, and community cooperation. The presentation also traces the evolution of rice cultivation and breeding in modern Japan. Today, more than 300 commercial rice varieties are grown across the country, though many can be traced back to a surprisingly small number of foundational varieties. Dr. Sato examines contemporary challenges facing rice cultivation, including declining rice farming, aging rural populations, and the difficulty of attracting younger generations to agriculture. These changes have implications not only for rural communities and landscapes but also for Japan’s food culture, where rice is the essential ingredient in countless foods, from mochi (rice cakes) and senbei (rice crackers) to sake and vinegar, that form the foundation of washoku and contribute to its remarkable diversity.