Help for an ambitious international student

Hikaru Nagano Start Date: Apr 2, 2025 - End Date: Aug 1, 2025
  • イギリス
  • Exeter, イギリス

My Travel Story

by: Hikaru Nagano Start Date: Apr 2, 2025 - End Date: Aug 1, 2025
My ultimate career goal is to protect and sustain Japan's rice culture through increased production and stable supply, promoting rice consumption, preserving the environment of paddy fields, and reaffirming and raising awareness of rice’s role as a cultural and identity symbol.

While living in Japan, I conducted field research by visiting local rice farmers and witnessed firsthand the economic, policy-related, environmental, labor, commercial, and power balance challenges they face. Additionally, as a consumer, I experienced prolonged disruptions in the rice market and shortages of this staple food. At the same time, I observed a growing indifference toward rice culture among people, which I found contradictory.

Through the PhD program in Anthropology of Food at the University of Exeter, I aim to conduct in-depth research on these issues and propose solutions to the worsening situation surrounding rice in Japan. Among food products, staple food consumption is particularly intertwined with agricultural policies centered on production reduction, international free trade led by Western countries, the westernization of dietary habits, the shift in consumer awareness from origin to price, and the declining cultural and identity-related significance of rice. I believe that by improving these conditions surrounding rice in Japan, I can contribute to the protection, preservation, and promotion of Japanese rice culture.
  • イギリス
  • Exeter, イギリス