In 2022, the first rice growing experiment as amateur farmers was taken place. This rice field belonged to my ancestors and was left uncultivated and ruined because of lack of manpower due to depopulation in the area. For the past two years, we have been harvesting excellent organic rice twice with local supporters on a 1700m2 paddy field.

The first draft of the relational map I created for the field revealed the interconnectedness of arable lands including rice field, traditional houses, and surrounding mountains through an eco-system of underground soil.

Emphasizing the need to approach them as a unity for revitalization ensuring their well-being for future generations, we initiated rice cultivation.

Workshops on soil vitalization around houses and mountains followed in collaboration with Kochi technical university students and ecological civil engineers.

One of my significant artistic interests is to create an environment where people can reconnect with nature and experience mythical senses, like being deceived by raccoondogs! I believe such experiences, wether occurring in ‘reality’ or ‘imaginary’, deeply enrich our ways of being.

The 1700m2 rice field, a 130 years old traditional wooden house, and surrounding mountains are all connected through an eco-system of underground soil.

Picture it like we're part of a vast network of mycelium! To revitalize the Nirono field for the well-being of the future generation, the continuation of people’s care and maintenance, combining traditional civil engineering technique and new technology using microorganisms as a trigger, is essential.

Working on the land, -combining both the classical ecological engineering technique and the new farming EM gravitron method using special microorganisms- is a process of creating a large landscape art together with the community. These specific technologies based on local cultures have potentials to be shared and studied together with researchers in the Netherlands as well.

Harvested rice in Nirono, Kochi, Japan is served and talked over during EatArt events, one of my ongoing projects. Through tasting and listening to stories, cross-cultural and geographical experiences are offered to participants. It is my plan to develop an 'EatArt Salon' where members can directly connect and contribute to the art ecological project 'Circular Niro' in Kochi in the future.

I aim to develop ‘Circular Niro’ into a small-scale but dense cultural, scientific and business exchanging platform with a warm human touch between the Netherlands and Japan in coming five to twenty years.

Are you interested to get involved? Click to mail me!