Emilie BOUQUET

Produce Grower, Amanogawa Farm

I was born and raised in Brittany, France.

After travelling to Japan for the first time in 2008, I moved to Japan in April 2011 (age 22).

I used to work as a French teacher in Tokyo and Yokohama. Then, inspired by my student from Fukushima, I visited the prefecture in 2018. The nature and the warmth of the locals moved me, so I decided to live in Aizu Wakamatsu City in 2021.

Fukushima still has a negative image overseas, even though most people have never been there. So, I started to draw Akabeko illustrations to show how this prefecture is beautiful.

The illustrations led me to Hamadori in 2021.

I saw Futaba County under reconstruction and had the desire to do eco-farming in a town affected by the nuclear accident.

I was always interested in farming, so in February 2023 (age 34) I moved to Okuma Town and started farming in March of the same year.