lifestyle

Meet the 'world’s best dressed farmer'

10 Comments
By Oona McGee, RocketNews24

In Japan, there’s an outfit for everything: mountain hikers wear fleece skirts or shorts with leggings; stay-at-home mothers and grandmothers let people know they’re doing the housework by wearing aprons; and male farmers can be identified by their durable light grey jackets and trousers. In a clearly delineated world of designated dress for workplaces and activities, anyone deviating away from the norm is sure to stand out, and when you’re a man who wears a business suit to work in the rice fields, you can expect to receive local and international media attention.

Kiyoto Saito, who hails from a family that boasts 400 years of farming tradition, is the star of a new clip on YouTube from Zoomin.TV Amazing, who dubs him the “world’s best dressed farmer” due to his unusual choice of workwear.

The 16th generation rice farmer left his rural hometown in Yamagata Prefecture to live and work in the city when he was younger, only to return later in order to start a family. After Saito’s brother joked that the city slicker would probably wear a suit all day in the rice fields, Saito took the idea seriously, and has been dressing up in suits and ties ever since.

Saito’s Twitter account shows the farmer dressed up in a number of stylish outfits while working on the farm.

While his suits have been drawing attention to himself and his family business at Kabura Farm, Saito is also taking this opportunity to make farming seem more fun and appealing to the younger generation. As the video says, his next goal is to “make fashionable farming go viral.”

With a large number of Japan’s agricultural workers advancing in age, Saito’s appeal to the younger generation is one that’s been taken up by a number of other organisations, with one farm recently making news for appealing to troubled youth and another company releasing high-end agricultural wear for the younger generation. As long as people like the amicable Saito remain on the frontlines of the agricultural charm offensive, hopefully more and more young people will be encouraged to get involved in the free-spirited and interesting world of Japanese farming.

Source: Aol.

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10 Comments
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Good for him! Love the hat!

1 ( +2 / -1 )

We need more farmers, thank you!

2 ( +2 / -0 )

hopefully more and more young people will be encouraged to get involved in the free-spirited and interesting world of Japanese farming.

Farming is hardly free-spirited and no need to over exaggerate it either. Farming is hard, tiring, back-breaking work that does not pay much in accordance to the work done.

It's not for everyone.

At least this guy found a place to use all the suits he bought when he was a salaryman instead of just letting them sit in the closet.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

Ugh.

It's not my business to tell him how to dress and he can do what he wants with his clothes, but I really get tired of seeing Japanese people disrespecting the suit. If you have a suit worth wearing, it's not going to be worth wearing for long if you wear it while doing farm work.

-6 ( +0 / -6 )

@katsu78 "disrespecting the suit"??? lolololol. omg, that's hilarious!

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Katsu78, I would say he is respectful to his farm dirt. Lol

1 ( +2 / -1 )

As long as it is not hot & humid summer, shouldn't be any problem except working in the clay!

2 ( +2 / -0 )

"his next goal is to “make fashionable farming go viral.”

Good luck with that. Initially thought it was a scarecrow on the pic (old suit, hat, different colours, arms wide open etc). Nothing against him per se but am not sure 'suiting up while farming" is on most farmers agenda right now.

Not getting ripped off by big supermarkets, earning enough to pay the bills and feed the family may be slightly higher for most. May attract a few city slickers always happy to look cool/different while 'connecting with the land' though.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

It's a gimmick to promote his business, that's fine. A campaign to get more young people into agriculture, that's fine too. What's not fine with me (used to work on a farm) is the safety aspect of wearing the right clothes for the job. Example: Ties and machinery don't mix well!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

It could be a clip on tie like the kind cops use, or a "safety tie" with a set breakaway strength.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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