The subject of this week's "The Professional" (NHK-G, Mon., 10 p.m.) is rice farmer Minoru Ishii, who is leading the crusade for a more open-minded approach to Japanese agriculture.
As rice prices continue to drop, farmers are angry but still stick to old methods. Ishii's motto is, "The more hardship you endure, the more fulfilling your life is." He belongs to the organic school of farming, and although his rice sells for the rather high price of ¥1,500 per kg, it's extremely popular. He has won the Japanese Grand Prix for domestic rice three years running.
Ishii, whose farm is in Miyagi Prefecture, says that growing rice is like raising children, and on the program he reveals some of his secrets, one of which is to cut the tips of seedling sprouts one week before planting in order to "condition" them for the difficulties of life.