Narita Airport, the largest single government project in Japan, has been the scene of the longest and deadliest conflict in the country’s post World War II history. Since 1966, local farmers have been fighting to protect their land, first from the bulldozers, then from the environmental damage of a modern airport. They were joined in the battle by students, and other protesters representing the counter cultural movement.
Our new film Narita Field Trip is focussing on the shift of public perception of Narita. The area has been the center of the protests in the 70ies, but today, that is almost forgotten. Even though some farmers are still around, continuing their protest against the growth of Narita Airport and running organic farms between the runways. The younger generation in Japan doesn‘t know much about it, the protest seems to be history and the organic farming just an adventurous pass time for the kids from Tokyo.