Innovating Taste: Japan’s Food Tech & Production

After breakfast, the group travels by train and bullet train to Niigata, where they transfer to the ferry for Sado Island - a rural region known for sustainable living. In the afternoon, students meet a local farmer who runs both an organic and industrial farm, growing crops like rice and strawberries. Through this visit, students gain valuable insight into the contrasts between ecological farming and conventional production, allowing them to evaluate agricultural impacts on biodiversity, soil health, and local economies. The group then settles into temple or hostel accommodation and shares a group dinner. This day encourages students to think critically about sustainable agriculture and food security from a scientific and ethical perspective

Sado Island offers a rich diversity of traditional food producers. Students visit a dried fruit factory, learning how seasonal produce like persimmons and plums are preserved with minimal waste. They then explore a Japanese confectionary workshop, an oyster farm, and a sake brewery, each highlighting different stages of food processing, from raw material to final product. Lunch and dinner at local restaurants introduce students to culinary traditions tied to local ecosystems, such as soba with native seaweed and sustainably sourced seafood. This immersive day offers an understanding of how regional food systems can be both economically viable and environmentally conscious, reinforcing principles of low-impact production, marine conservation, and traditional ecological knowledge.

Returning to Tokyo by ferry and bullet train, the group gets ready for an introduction to Japanese food philosophy, focusing on seasonality, minimal waste, and the spiritual aspect of nourishment. Students then participate in a hands on workshop making traditional Japanese sweets such as Nerikiri or Mizu Yokan, gaining insight into how cultural identity is preserved through food craftsmanship. This day encourages reflection on how food connects humans to nature, and how cultural values can drive more mindful and sustainable consumption.

The day begins with an early visit to the Toyosu Fish Market, offering a behind-the-scenes look at Japan's seafood supply chain and practices around traceability, freshness, and ethical sourcing. Students then explore the Sustainable Food Museum in Nishi-Shinbashi, where they learn about cutting-edge developments in urban farming, alternative proteins, and circular food economy models. A visit to a company involved in sustainable food production offers further exposure to how the private sector is addressing global food challenges. In the afternoon, students return for an onigiri making workshop and a lesson on bento design, which emphasises balance, aesthetics, and zero-waste principles. This day bridges traditional food knowledge with modern innovation, inspiring students to consider how science and creativity can shape the future of food.

After breakfast at the hotel, the group is transferred to the airport. The journey closes with a sense of how Japan's food culture - from ancient traditions to cutting-edge solutions - offers models of resilience, respect for nature, and systemic thinking, all essential themes for future biologists and sustainability leaders.