From Space to a Life Rooted in Agriculture

In 1990, while at TBS, Toyohiro Akiyama became the first Japanese astronaut to travel aboard the Soviet spacecraft Soyuz and the Mir space station, broadcasting live from space. Since 1996, he has been engaged in organic farming in Fukushima Prefecture. The details of this transition are further elaborated in his books, including "The Hoe and the Spaceship" (Random House Kodansha) and "Space and Earth: Towards a Life Rooted in Agriculture" (Iwanami Shoten).

His lifestyle is the very definition of sustainable. Akiyama states that he began his current way of life precisely because he is conscious of sustainability.

Food and Energy

"There's a word called 'vulnerability.' It means fragility. The vulnerability of human society lies in food and energy. My life fulfills these two needs. I have enough land to cultivate rice and vegetables myself, and on the wooded hills behind my house, I grow shiitake mushrooms while also planting trees that are suitable for firewood. Ultimately, sustainability means 'being well tomorrow.' To achieve that, securing food is an absolute necessity."

While his vegetables and rice are for his own consumption, he also sells shiitake mushrooms. Very few farmers in Japan dry their shiitake mushrooms entirely in the sun. The kama (sickle), nata (machete), and masakari (axe) exhibited in this show are the tools that support his way of life.

Masakari, Nata, Kama

Sun-dried Shiitake Mushrooms

Consideration for Humans as Part of Nature

Akiyama also points out that the most significant issue today is the diminishing consideration for humans as a part of nature.

"Interest in protecting nature, in things outside of humanity, has grown. But humans, as natural beings, have been neglected for the past decade or so. Humans eat, sleep, excrete, and reproduce. They are beings that pass on the next generation. If we don't value this, the entire society will crumble. By reproducing more compassionate human beings, we should be able to extend kindness to nature beyond ourselves. I feel that this aspect is rapidly deteriorating."

Dried Persimmons

Favorite Books

To Live Well Tomorrow

Akiyama says he feels the essence of sustainability most strongly during harvest time, which is directly linked to the human condition as natural beings.

"Throughout human history, everyone has engaged in the activities of eating, sleeping, and creating the next generation. Whether they achieved great things or not, these activities formed history. Considering this, eating is profoundly important to us. That's why, when there's a harvest, I feel a sense of 'sustainability.' The ability to foresee the future is fundamental to supporting the human spirit. When we worry about tomorrow, we panic, and our autonomic nervous system becomes unbalanced. Humans need to eat and sleep properly, maintaining their biological rhythms, or they become disordered. And when one person becomes disordered, those around them are affected, and ultimately, the entire society becomes disordered."

Since the 1972 report "The Limits to Growth" by the Club of Rome, the world has become increasingly conscious of sustainability, including environmental issues. However, reflecting on humanity's fundamental activities and living each day with the prospect of 'being well tomorrow' is the very foundation of sustainability.

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