21_21 DESIGN SIGHT, located within the Tokyo Midtown garden in Roppongi, will be hosting a special exhibition, "Rice," from February 28 to June 15. In a time when rice's status as a staple food is being challenged, this exhibition reexamines the state of rice, a fundamental part of Japanese culture, and considers its future. The exhibition is directed by graphic designer Taku Sato, director of 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT, and cultural anthropologist Shinichi Takemura. Sato explains the background to the project on the exhibition's official website: "Rice production, which began in the late Jomon period, has not only provided food for many people, but has also been involved in the economy of buying and selling rice, and in the work of growing rice. Furthermore, rice production has given rise to tools and festivals, and has also developed into a performing arts culture. In Japan, rice is a relationship, a system, and a method that supports human activities. Perhaps this can be seen as an example of excellent design nurtured in Japan." Takemura also spoke about his thoughts on the exhibition, saying, "Japanese rice is at a major turning point, not only in terms of social factors such as the TPP and the lack of successors to farming families, but also in more fundamental cultural and lifestyle aspects. While Japanese cuisine has been registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, the tradition of rice as a staple food, consisting of one soup and three side dishes, is gradually disappearing from the dinner table. I would like to take a fresh look at rice, as we "think we know it," from a new perspective. I would like to reexamine rice's potential as a "future food" and a "global food" for a world population that will soon reach 9 billion, while also looking back at the history of rice cultivation and rice culture." An opening talk featuring Sato and Takemura will be held on March 8 (reservations are now closed), and talks featuring the many staff members who contributed to the exhibition will be held on March 22, April 19, April 26, and May 5. In addition, at the satellite booth, from February 28th to March 26th, 10 brands of rice from rice-growing regions around the country will be milled on the spot and sold in special "Rice Exhibition" packaging.


[Event Information]
Rice Exhibition
Venue: 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT
Address: Tokyo Midtown Garden, 9-7-6 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Dates: February 28th to June 15th
Time: 11:00 to 20:00 (last admission at 19:30) *until midnight on April 19th
Admission Fee: 1,000 yen for adults, 800 yen for university students, 500 yen for junior and senior high school students, free for elementary school students and younger
Closed: Tuesdays (open on April 29th and May 6th)