Episode 8: Rice Meister - Hachidaime Gihey -

The president of Hachidaime Gihey, a long‑established rice business in Kyoto that has been passed down through generations. As the eldest son, Gihey Hashimoto took over the family rice shop and later founded the company around 20 years ago with the belief that truly delicious rice is essential to preserving Japan’s rice culture amid climate change and declining rice consumption. Hachidaime Gihey specializes in selecting rice from across Japan and creating blends that maximize sweetness and flavor. Gihey Hashimoto's team standardizes washing and cooking procedures to ensure consistent quality and teaches proper techniques to restaurants in Japan and overseas. Under his leadership, the company exports rice to Asia and the United States, while promoting correct cooking methods to deliver authentic Japanese rice experiences worldwide.

A representative of matoil, a project launched in Kyocera based on Minako Tani 's own lifelong experience with food allergies. Minako Tani creates meals tailored to the unique allergen profiles of each individual, addressing challenges such as dining out, traveling, and school events where safe meals are limited. Her team develops frozen meals that maintain freshness and can be safely delivered anywhere, supporting people with various dietary restrictions. matoil collaborates with restaurants, hotels, travel agencies, and schools to ensure safe meal provision, and focuses on enabling people to enjoy food experiences without feeling restricted by allergies. Minako Tani is also working to support international visitors with diverse dietary needs.