Overview
- The Emperor sowed rice seeds Thursday at a seedbed beside the Imperial Palace’s Biological Research Institute in Tokyo.
- He planted two varieties, Nippon Masari (table rice) and Mangetsu Mochi (glutinous rice), with about 720 grains reported by the Asahi Shimbun.
- The Imperial Household Agency said seedlings will be transplanted around May once they mature in the seedbed.
- The agency said the September harvest will provide rice for Imperial court rituals and related ceremonies.
- The palace rice program began under the Showa Emperor for variety study and to reflect on farmers’ labor, and it has continued under the Emperor Emeritus and the current Emperor.