Building community one JET at a time.

Preserving Traditional Japanese Agriculture in a Modern-Day Global Context

Lillian Rowlatt

Co-founder Kokoro Care Packages

Niigata, 2003-2005

Japan’s agriculture industry faces challenges from a shrinking and aging farming population, an overwhelming presence of small-scale farms, and inefficient structural and political issues. Yet against this backdrop, an opportunity arises for Japan to preserve and support its agricultural communities by increasing the awareness of its traditional cuisine, sharing its philosophies around food and farming, and decreasing restrictive trade barriers with the U.S.

Read full article (PDF)

About the Author

Lillian Hanako Rowlatt is a half-Japanese Canadian currently living in Los Angeles. She was an ALT on the JET Program in Kashiwazaki, Niigata from 2003 to 2005 and later went on to co-found Kokoro Care Packages as a way of connecting people to the traditions and culture of Japan through locally-made artisanal foods. Kokoro Care Packages promotes the philosophies surrounding Japanese food while supporting local farmers, producers, and their communities. Lillian has always believed in the power of food to nourish one’s body while connecting people to the land and people who created it. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from Queen’s University and spent almost a decade in finance before co-founding Kokoro Care Packages.

About the JETs on Japan Forum

The JETs on Japan Forum is a partnership between USJETAA and Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA (Sasakawa USA) that features selected articles of JET alumni perspectives on U.S.-Japan relations. The series aims to elevate the awareness and visibility of JET alumni working across diverse sectors and provides a platform for JET alumni to contribute to deeper understanding of U.S.-Japan relations from their fields. The articles will be posted on USJETAA’s website to serve as resource to the wider JET alumni and U.S.-Japan communities on how alumni of this exchange program are continuing to serve as informal ambassadors in U.S.-Japan relations.

Submissions are encouraged from mid-to-senior level professionals who are established in the current fields OR current/recent graduate degree students in both masters and doctoral programs. Click here for more information on how to submit a proposal for consideration.