Sagano and Rice Planting

One of our unique employee benefits is the homemade lunch we serve every day. The menu is always the same: brown rice and miso soup packed with vegetables, with a side dish added from time to time. All the ingredients we use are organic, and the seasonings are made using traditional methods. The basics are always seasonal vegetables. It may sound like temple-style shōjin ryōri, but thanks to this simple “one soup, one dish” meal that our kitchen staff cooks by hand every day, our team members are becoming healthier and healthier. When we did the math, we found that we consume about 120 kg of brown rice a year – the equivalent of two full bales.

That rice is grown for us in paddies in Sagano–Arashiyama, located to the west of Kyoto. About two years ago, Fuyunatsu began taking part in landscape conservation activities in Sagano, and our staff now join in the local rice planting. This project aims to convert farmland that elderly owners can no longer manage and have had to give up into fields for organic farming that does not rely on pesticides or chemical fertilizers. Over roughly 50 years, the goal is to enhance biodiversity across the entire region and pass its natural capital on to the next generation. Marketed under the name “Kokon Saga Rice,” it has become very popular.

At the end of May, this year’s rice planting took place. This is the fifth year since the switch to organic farming. Compared to last year, the soil has become noticeably softer and more resilient. When we look at the world not merely as consumers but as “stewards” of natural capital, simply being present to witness nature coming back to life fills us with joy. It feels like this year’s new harvest of rice will grow to be delicious as well.