25th National Rice Terraces Summit Agrariat Festival 2019

Two days to rediscover the charm of terraced rice fields

On Sunday, October 13, the 25th National Summit of Rice Terraces (Thousand Rice Paddies) opened with Renessa Nagato as the main venue.

The two-day event, which runs through the following Monday, the 14th, aims to rediscover the charm of terraced rice paddies through lectures, breakout sessions, a fashion show of farm work clothes, and field trips. About 800 visitors came from as far north as Aomori Prefecture and as far south as Kagoshima Prefecture.

Nagato City, the setting of this exhibition, is a place where terraced rice paddies spread around the Utsuga and Mukozugu districts of Aburaya. In particular, the Higashi Gobata Terraced Rice Paddies, recognized as one of the "100 best terraced rice paddies in Japan," is known as a spot visited by many photography enthusiasts because of the contrast between the sea, the setting sun, and fishing fires and the terraced rice paddies.

Opening is Aburaya Children's Musical

Opening the event on Sunday the 13th was "Aburaya Children's Musical," which was established in 2002 and has performed 17 times so far. The group has 29 members ranging from 4th grade elementary school students to 3rd grade junior high school students.

The children behaved with dignity and clear voices. The children, who are trying to move forward, following the will of their grandfather who protected the terraced rice paddies, were represented with songs and dances.

At the end of the event, he jumped out into the audience and performed a song right in front of the participants. The energetic voices of the participants rang out, and as soon as the song was over, the venue was filled with applause. The smiles on the faces of the group members were impressive as they expressed their sense of accomplishment.

Keynote speech and "mompekko" case study presentation

In the morning, there was a keynote lecture by Professor Tokumi Odagiri of Meiji University's Faculty of Agriculture on the theme of "Rehabilitation of Farming Villages and Related Populations," and a case study presentation by Yamaguchi Prefectural University on the results of its research into the popularization and product development of "mompekko" agricultural work clothes.

The "mompekko" project, which began in 2013, proposes an improved version of the traditional Japanese work wear "monpe" that is more in tune with modern lifestyles, and has held a fashion show in the city titled the "Farm Girl Collection.

On this day, an exhibition and sales booth was also set up in the lobby of the venue, where many people stopped to admire the brightly colored "mompekko.

Limited edition products using terraced rice

Lined up at the booth of the Nagato City Tourism and Convention Association was a gift set filled with products in a bag depicting tourist attractions in the city. They were three kinds of duckwords "Rice Words" made from terraced rice fields in Aburatani, baked sweets "Komegoron," and "Higashi Gohata Terraced Rice Soup" made from locally raised chicken "Choshu Kuro Kashiwa".

The development project has been underway since last year, and the two types of sweets are sold in advance at the tourist information center "YUKUTE" in Senza Kitchen, Michi no Eki. Rice Words" offers a sticky texture unique to rice flour, while "Komegoron" has the sweetness and aroma of terraced rice that becomes more and more appealing the more you bite into it.

Learn about the people, things, and things that protect terraced rice paddies

In the afternoon, "breakout sessions" were held in three halls, each with a different theme, such as activities to increase the number of "bearers" who protect terraced rice paddies, and manufacturing and regional development with terraced rice paddies at the core.

The development of "Rice Words" and "Komegoron" were also introduced by Mr. Kanji Ota, President of the NPO Yuya Tanada Landscape Preservation Association, which is making efforts to improve farmers' income and revitalize abandoned farmland.

Agri-Art Festival "Rice Terraces of Light

The last of the stage events was the "Agri-Art Festival" by the Planning and Design Laboratory of Yamaguchi Prefectural University. Prime Minister Akie Abe's wife has been involved in the planning and operation of the festival since its inception, and this year marks the seventh year of the "mompekko" fashion show for farm work clothes.

This year's theme was "Terraced Rice Paddies of Light. The costumes, designed mainly by the students, evoke the image of terraced rice paddies glistening in the sun, and are filled with thoughts of a bright future. Following "Mountain Mouse," a brother and sister unit from Suo Oshima who performed the original song "Hikari no tanada," students will appear one after another as models.

The stage consists of six parts, including previously presented "Salopekko (2015)" and "Tsunagikko (2016)," costumes that were created by imagining the lives of migrants and are presented along with a fictional story.

This year's new "mompekko tanada 2019" will bring a series of students as well as guests to the stage.

Nagato City Mayor Ohnishi, Kami Inoue, proprietress of "Hyakusoan" who is developing various businesses utilizing the resources of the Mukozugu area, such as manufacturing "Hyakuso no Shio" and opening a Spanish bar, and Aiko Wada, who is involved in activities to plant herbs and flowers in abandoned terraced rice fields, appeared with smiles.

Also appearing as special guests were model Mari Wagatsuma, TV personality Serina, and for the second time since 2016, Ai Haruna. The venue was the most exciting of the day.

For the finale, all models and staff members were spotlighted on stage. The 7th annual fashion show came to a close to loud applause.

With an aging and shrinking population, terraced rice paddies are facing serious challenges such as an increase in abandoned farmland and a lack of bearers.

Nevertheless, through the proposals of new "food" and fashion, and through the voices of those who are still working hard, this summit was surely a time that will change people's impressions of terraced rice paddies and agriculture. Tomorrow, Monday the 14th, a field trip to "Higashi Gohata Terraced Rice Paddies," selected as one of the 100 best terraced rice paddies in Japan, and "Hongo Terraced Rice Paddies" in the Mukozugu district is scheduled, so that participants can experience the landscape and efforts of Nagato City's terraced rice paddies.

Related Links

• Higashi Gohata Terraced Fields
• Fall Events 2019