This year's selection of rice paddy art has begun to crop up in fields across Japan.
Rice paddy art in Inakadate (Aomori prefecture) [photo]
Two historical figures -- the legendary warrior-monk Benkei (left) and the warrior Ushiwakamaru, a.k.a. Minamoto no Yoshitsune (right) -- have emerged in a pair of fields in the Aomori prefecture town of Inakadate. For nearly 20 years, the town has prided itself as home to Japan's finest rice crop art, which is created by carefully arranging different colors of rice plants in the field.
Benkei (left) and Ushiwakamaru (right) [photo]
Benkei [photo]
Ushiwakamaru [photo]
Ushiwakamaru in late June [photo]
View of Ushiwakamaru at ground level [photo]
Ushiwakamaru [photo]
Benkei [photo]
View of Benkei at ground level
+ Video of Inakadate rice paddy art (filmed in late June)
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Here are a few more works of rice paddy art from other parts of Japan.
Animals in Asahikawa (Hokkaido) [photo]
Animals in Asahikawa (Hokkaido) [photo]
Samurai Keiji Maeda in Yonezawa (Yamagata prefecture) [photo]
View from top of Keiji Maeda's head [photo]
Princess Okaiko, a local folklore figure, in the town of Shirataka (Yamagata prefecture) [photo]
Rice paddy art at Denpark in Anjo (Aichi prefecture) [via]
Rice paddy art at Sakakibara onsen (Mie prefecture) [photo]
Ducks near Fukushimagata Lagoon Water Park (Niigata prefecture) [via]
Ground level view of ducks near Fukushimagata Lagoon Water Park (Niigata prefecture) [photo]
Ducks near Fukushimagata Lagoon Water Park (Niigata prefecture) [via]
Buddhist sword dancer and Anpanman in the Mizusawa area (Iwate prefecture) [photo]
Anpanman in the Mizusawa area (Iwate prefecture) [photo]
More:
- Rice paddy art, 2009
- Time-lapse video of rice paddy art, 2008
- Rice paddy art harvest, 2007
- Rice paddy art, 2007
Yip Bop the Art man
That is really cool art. How long does it take to arrange the rice to look like this?
[]JJ
Once they map the image onto the ground, it's just a matter of filling in the separate areas with different colored seedlings. That only takes one day if there are other people to help. Then you wait a few weeks for the rice to grow.
[]Mochi
I could stay watching at this forever... they´re amazing!! ` `why don´t they make them near my house!
[]Nemo
AHHH!!! It MUST be aliens!
[]Peter Neal
Indeed it must!
[]Margaret
Oh my goodness, I have never seen anything like this! Thanks for the interesting post - and for furthering my education!
[]richard north
Wow this is brilliant.
[]Something i haven't seen before.
Thanks
Alex
Yay, Aomori Prefecture!
[]I live like 20 minutes away.. should go see them sometime
Fernanda
Absolutely fantastic!
Although I have already seen some wonderful photos of this "art", these are really outstanding!
Thanks to Lolipop from Banzai I was brought here.
Hugs
FerNAnda
[]Superv
How cool! I never saw this kind of art before.
[]obeshimi
That first rice field with Benkei and Yoshitsune is amazing. It Must be their famous Moonlight battle on Gojobashi! It even looks like Yoshitsune is performing an athletic leap he learned from Sojobo. That is so Awesome!
[]If I was visiting japan right now, I would make it my mission to see that in person.
Jeremy
The 2nd one with the cuddly little critters on it!! :) :) :)
[]Edward
They should do this type of Art for high school football games .Bet the kids would love it.More people would show up too.
[]