The town of Kurikoma in Miyagi Prefecture is a typical mountain community, with terraced paddies on the slopes.
But when conversation touches on the future of agriculture in such areas, local farmer Koya Sato, 64, gets a little upset.
"I don't want to become discouraged or pessimistic," said Sato, who has about 2 hectares of farmland, 1.3 of which are terraced paddies.
Level paddies extend from the front of his residence, but the scene offers no assurances for the future of Japanese agriculture.