Green School Bali Graduate Launches Japanese Rice Project to Help Local Farmers

Yuzu Kawakami, 19, from Ishikawa Prefecture, felt uncomfortable with Japan's exam-focused education system. In her second year of junior high school, inspired by a talk from a Green School Bali alumna, she decided to study abroad alone in Bali. She enrolled at Green School at age 15 and spent three years there.

During her studies, she learned that tourism development in Bali was reducing farmland and pushing local farmers into poverty. For her graduation project, she decided to work on cultivating and distributing Japanese rice. Starting with no prior knowledge or experience, she built relationships with farmers from scratch and gradually expanded her network of partner farms.

Her crowdfunding campaign initially struggled to gain support, but she realized the importance of meeting supporters face-to-face. By reaching out individually to many people, she generated interest and ultimately succeeded in her crowdfunding campaign, enabling the distribution of Japanese rice.

She graduated from Green School in June this year and is currently taking a gap year. She has already secured a position at a social business company starting next year. Her future plans include visiting educational institutions in Japan and organizing events where students can discuss education.