Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on May 2013

J Muzacz is a man of many talents. He is the creator of Japan 365: A Drawing-A-Day Project, a series of illustrations of Japanese landscapes, people and food. The book includes bilingual descriptions of each image, with quirky musings and a wealth of not widely known information.

He has also biked across Japan with Bicycle for Everyone’s Earth, painted murals in five different countries, worked as an urban-art instructor, and his latest adventure had him working in a sugar cane field on Ishigaki Island, Okinawa. In his free time, he teaches English in Kyoto.

However, just doing hard labor didn’t quite cut it, and his artistic drive impelled him to compile his experiences into what will most definitely be the first ever picture book in English about the traditional sugarcane harvest on Ishigaki Island in Okinawa. Through J’s art you can discover a side of Japan otherwise unexplored by both foreigners and Japanese alike.

To help make the 56-page, full color, hardback book of sweetness a reality, check out the Indiegogo campaign page. Your contribution reaps rewards, such as Ishigaki black sugar, T-shirts and other snazzy Okinawan souvenirs.