He Quit His Job To Farm Rice In The Japanese Countryside | Grow & Tell — Key Takeaways
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He Quit His Job To Farm Rice In The Japanese Countryside | Grow & Tell
Epic Gardening27mAug 1, 2026
Watch the originalA burned-out hotel industry worker bought land in a 30-person Japanese village, learned organic paper-mulch rice farming from a local sensei, and now grows rice whose vinegar ends up in a local sushi restaurant.
Key takeaways
Organic rice paddies use carbon-coconut paper mulch to block weeds and fertilize soil
Organic rice paddies use carbon-coconut paper mulch to block weeds and fertilize soil
- Black paper made from carbon and coconut dust suppresses weeds organically and disintegrates into fertilizer after the season.
- A mechanical rice planter lays the paper and transplants seedling clumps simultaneously — each roll costs $20–30.
Vince acquired land including multiple plots, buildings, and two mountains in a 30-person village
Vince acquired land including multiple plots, buildings, and two mountains in a 30-person village
- Depopulation means landowners can no longer maintain plots — Vince took over abandoned temple gardens and other parcels.
- He legally owns two mountains listed on his title deed but has never visited them due to no direct road access.
Rice paddy water comes from communal mountain streams cleaned by farmers every spring
Rice paddy water comes from communal mountain streams cleaned by farmers every spring
- All local farmers gather before planting season to clear debris from waterways running from mountain streams down terraced paddies to the sea.
- No permits or water rights negotiation — there's a community understanding that farmers share the unnamed stream.
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In this video
- 1mIntro
- 3mTour of Vince's Farm
- 5mHeading to the Rice Fields
- 6mThe Mountain Water Source
- 9mGrowing Rice Seedlings
- 12mShopify Sponsor
- 14mMachine Planting Rice
- 17mTraditional Rice Planting
- 25mRice From Field to Table
“Rice agriculture is kind of the foundation of Japanese modern Japanese society.”
— Vince
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