This thesis comprises two separate papers. The first study examines how the media in Japan functioned during the aftermath of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, and the subsequent Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. As residents in Japan sought credible information about food safety, their demands culminated in performative food safety demonstrations by politicians and other leaders. The second paper examines the text Tenzo Kyōkun, completed by the Japanese Buddhist monk Dōgen in 1237. It explores Dōgen’s possible motivations for writing it and its lasting legacy, especially regarding issues of sustainability in Japanese monasteries today.