The variety show "Potsun to Ikkenya" (ABC TV/TV Asahi, Sundays at 7:54 PM) uses satellite photos as a guide to search for isolated houses in remote areas. The June 21st episode will follow the life of a man who continues to cultivate rice in terraced rice paddies in the mountains of Fukushima Prefecture, rice that is locally hailed as "the most delicious rice in Japan." The guests will be voice actor Kenjiro Tsuda and actress and model Kokona Kaku.
When satellite images from the search team were shown on the video, MC George Tokoro was surprised, saying, "This is quite deep in the mountains," as a large terraced rice paddy-like area stretched out in the remote mountains.
The search team first visited a hamlet surrounded by mountains. When they asked a man in his 50s who was walking his dog to check satellite photos, he surprisingly suggested that the houses were vacant, saying, "I don't think anyone lives there now. There are houses there, though." However, after further inquiries, they learned that although no one lived in the house they were looking for, the owner still went to the terraced rice fields to work on the farm.
The search party left the village and headed towards a secluded house deep in the mountains. After traversing a winding, steep forest road, they were greeted by a breathtaking view of beautiful terraced rice fields. Luckily, the owner, a 76-year-old man, was there. When they spoke to him, he said, "My parents lived here until about 15 years ago." The house has been vacant since his parents passed away, but the man, a former carpenter, still commutes from the village at the foot of the mountain to tend to the terraced rice fields.
The man continues to grow "Genki Rice," which has gained a reputation locally as "the most delicious rice in Japan" and has even received local awards. For the past few years, his fellow carpenters have been helping him with planting and harvesting. The program will also follow his rice farming process closely.
