Hello.
Welcome back to Agri Step!
This is the first story in a series of Hyakusho Tales.
I’d like to introduce some of the passionate farmers and people who work in the agriculture industry that I met while I am here in the US.
If you have no idea what “Hyakusho Tales” is, you can read about it here at the Hyakusho Tales link.
I first met Mark at a Zoom meeting during my stay at BBCC (Big Bend Community College).
At that time, he introduced me to his family’s farm and told me that he has always been interested in Japan and aims to study agriculture in Japan.
In this article, I would like to share with you, the readers, why Mark is interested in Japanese agriculture, what kind of person he is.
Mark Sizen
Mark is 25 years old and is currently on a leave of absence from the University of Vermont since the pandemic started.
His family owns a dairy farm, where he takes pride in his work with the cows every day.

Mark’s decision to take a leave of absence from his studies was based on a special and strong desire to study in Japan.
It all started in 2014. When Mark was a high school student, he went to Japan for the first time.
At the time, it coincided with the typhoon season, and there were some schedule changes, but the experience was enough to leave a lasting impression on Mark.
On that trip, he went to Tokyo and Nagano, stayed with a local inn owner. He experienced many cultural aspects like onsen, mochi making, traditional food, miso making and visited temples, which sparked his interest in Japanese culture.
After returning to the U.S., he spent his days soaking in the bathtub after farm work to soothe his fatigue and nurture his love for Japan.
Mark wanted to find some way to connect Japanese and Agriculture in his life and entered the University of Vermont.
His major is in the field of agriculture/biology, with a minor in Japanese.
However, with Japanese as only a minor Mark was not able to take specialized courses in Japanese history, culture, music and language.
Using his farm existing agriculture knowledge to receive permission to take specialize agriculture courses, he decided to create a self-designed major that would let him take more Japanese courses.
As a self-designed major, Mark was able to choose lectures that would allow him to learn more about Japan, and also included a study abroad program in Japan in the curriculum.
After many discussions with the university and hard work, Mark designed the major he was aiming for, specializing in agriculture and Japan.
Unfortunately, another obstacle arose.
The Corona pandemic made it difficult for him to study in Japan.
After his program was cancelled, he decided to take a leave of absence from university, until he could go to Japan.
From then on, he started working harder to make connections with Japanese farmers.
Before through his high school teacher, he established connections with Japanese dairy farmers, using Hello Talk (a language learning app) he made connections with dairy farmers who wanted to try WWOOF.
He sent an email to a Japan Dairy Association called J-milk and was able to connect with JAEC, which eventually led him to the director of the Japanese Agricultural Trainee Program (the name of the program I am participating in).
During this leave of absence, he started doing virtual farm tours. This led to an online meeting with the Japanese Agricultural Trainees, which led me to meet Mark.
Although things are not going as planned due to the Corona pandemic, Mark’s future goals include graduating from the University of Vermont, going to graduate school in Hokkaido, and working for the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) in Japan.
Mark’s view of agriculture in the U.S. and Japan
As he learned more about Japan, he realized that the way farmers interact with people is different from that of the U.S., and decided to make it his university research theme.
Japanese farmers have a strong connection with the people around them, while American farmers do not have the same strong connection as those in Japan. Feeling this way, Mark would like to visit various farmers during his study abroad in Japan.
He would like to learn more about each farmer’s relationship with the community and people, so that he can more clearly define the differences and link them to his research.
Mark is very interested in the way Japanese value history, culture, tradition, and their communities.
Through my encounter with Mark
This encounter was a mutually stimulating one. Mark was trying to find various ways to connect with farmers in Japan.
When I was around 18 years old and had no relationship with farmers at all, I actively built connections with them through phone calls and emails.
Even though we were from different countries, I felt very close to him as we were both doing the same thing.
However, what I found out through listening to him was that when Mark created his own major, he also received opposing opinions from many people.
I was very impressed by Mark’s perseverance in taking action, no matter how much opposition he received.
When I finally asked him why he loves farming, he said,
“I love farming and cows more than I can explain. I had a cow named Shadow. Every morning I said would say “Good morning Shadow, do you want your morning kiss?” and she would bring her nose close enough for me to feel her whiskers and then waited for her kiss before going back to eating. It’s feelings like that, that I cannot get enough of“.

It’s a simple answer I guess. He really likes farming at all.
He also told me that it is difficult for him to go to Japan now in Corona and that he feels very discouraged about the current situation, which makes it difficult to see the future.
In my opinion, people can connect with each other online even in Corona.
If any of our readers would like to talk with Mark about farming, or if you are a farmer who would like to share your experiences, please comment on Agri Step.
Mark is particularly interested in dairy farming in Hokkaido and Tohoku, but he would be happy to hear from farmers in any region.
That’s it for Today’s Hyakusho Tale.
If you would like to know more about Mark, please feel free to leave a comment as well.
Thank you for your continued support.
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