Former Daiwa Scholar Studying Entomophagy in Gifu, Japan

Charlotte Payne, a 2009 Daiwa Scholar, returned to Japan in March 2013 as a (Japanese Government) MEXT (Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology) Scholar, to study the nutritional implications of entomophagy, the practice of eating insects, in rural communities. She originally became interested in insects as a potentially nutrient-rich source of protein that is cheaper and more environmentally sustainable than traditional livestock.

Affiliated to Rikkyo University in Tokyo, Charlotte is currently based in Gifu ken, in a small mountain village called Kushihara, where in addition to her studies, she is figuring out how to make ‘tsukemono’ and concentrating on growing herbs and vegetables, developing palatable and nutritious insect recipes, and maintaining an enormous Japanese country house in the heat of the summer.

You can read a piece about her in the 2 March edition of ‘The Asahi Shimbun Globe’:

The Asahi Shimbun Globe, website The Asahi Shimbun Globe in Japanese, website

You can read about Charlotte’s research and her life in Kushihara through her website and blog, which is in English and Japanese:

Charlotte Payne, website