EAST 6:2

This issue's cover image comes from the Japanese manga artist Akira Oze's famous series Natsuko's Sake (1988-1991). In the story, Natsuko sets out to brew sake of the highest quality. She begins by growing a unique type of rice, and rather than rely on pesticides and herbicides, she turns to traditional tools, using a hoe to remove weeds. The young woman's early efforts prompt skeptical reactions from the community, but in due course her neighbors come to praise her pioneering organic approach. She helps reform not only rice farming but also the very nature of the community. Oze is renowned for his humanistic engagement with farmers and agricultural development in Japan.

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