Category Archives: Farm Policy

SAITAMA, July 22 — Now is the best time to see the rice paddy art in Gyoda, Saitama Prefecture, which is created to support Noto Peninsula hit by a major earthquake in January. The display, made by planting rice seedlings of different colors on a 2.8-hectare field, depicts the Kiriko Festival, traditional summer festivals in the Noto region of Ishikawa Prefecture featuring large lanterns and portable shrines. Organizers of the rice field art asked members of Noto High School’s calligraphy club to write kanji characters including fukko kigan, meaning “prayer for restoration,” used in designing the art. The entire artwork can be viewed from a 50-meter-high observation platform located next … Continue reading →

IWATE, June 26 — Rice paddy art featuring Los Angeles Dodgers star player Shohei Otani and his beloved dog Dekopin appeared in his hometown of Oshu, Iwate Prefecture. A rice paddy art committee of the Atoroi district in the city formed by local farmers created the image by planting different colored seedlings of seven rice varieties, including Yukiasobi, Beniasobi and Hitomebore, on a 30-are rice field. Many fans — not only from across Japan but also from other countries such as the United States and South Korea — visit the district to see the rice paddy art from an observation platform nearby. The average number of visitors per day reached … Continue reading →

Tsurishinobu-en in Takarazuka City, Hyogo Prefecture, is in the busiest season for shipping Tsurishinobu or hanging Shinobu fern, one of Japan’s traditional summer products. It is one of the classic arrangements of Davallia mariesii (called Shinobu in Japanese) since the Edo Period. The garden owner, Makoto Ichihara, first grows young Shinobu ferns for four years, plants them in firm soil balls, and grows them again for around one and half years. Japanese people buy them as one of the summer features to enjoy their clean and cool impressions. The most sought-after Tsurishinobu items are those with a diameter of 10 centimeters. Each Tsurishinobu comes with a Nambu iron wind bell, … Continue reading →

As your Father’s Day gift, how about sending ukiyo-e and Omi beef together in one box? Hyotanya, a Japanese restaurant in Omi-Hachiman, Shiga Prefecture, is selling a series of gift items that are catching the eye of consumers. The name of the collection is “Art Beef Gallery.” The restaurant uses the vivid red meat and finely marbled white color of Omi beef to “color” part of ukiyo-e Japanese woodblock prints to make a gift that allows you to enjoy Japan’s highest-ranked A5-grade beef tastefully and visually. The products come in four patterns, such as Akafuji (Red Mt. Fuji) and Renjishi (Kabuki lion dancer). You can also enjoy decorating your room … Continue reading →

GUNMA, Jun. 4 – On June 2, in Takasaki City, Gunma Prefecture, five married couples participated in a joint wedding ceremony followed by a mud run in their wedding attire at a rice field. Approximately 1,300 guests celebrated the couples with big smiles and clapping as the brides’ pure white wedding dresses turned “colored” in the mud. This event was part of the 19th Yoshii Mud Festival, which aimed to strengthen community bonds between parents and children. One of the organizers, Shigenari Okabe (69), proposed holding the wedding ceremony for couples who were already married but had not held their ceremonies. The couples who participated in activities headed to the … Continue reading →