Shining lights in stepped rice paddy with Mt. Buko and city lights in the background (in Yokoze-machi, Saitama Prefecture)
Member of Yokoze-machi Terasaka Stepped Rice Preservation Association lighting candles. Candles are covered by plastic bottles as rain hood
Approximately 600 candles and small lanterns brightened up the stepped rice paddies in Terasaka, Yokoze-machi, Saitama Prefecture. The Firefly Bonfire Festival prepared by local farmers offered its visitors a splendid experience of enjoying candle lights, with city lights in the background.
The candle light festival started on June 30 this year and lasted for three days, being hosted by a group of local farmers who gathered to restore the stepped rice paddies in Terasaka, Yokoze-machi.
The farmers prepared two types of light sources, candles in bamboo candle holders and cans with bio-diesel fuel (BDF).
The festival is an event to appreciate farmers’ hard work after the rice planting season. It got more popular each year to become one of the seasonal traditions of the town. The lights were lit in the evening and became more and more brilliant when it got dark, creating fantastic scenery.
Members of Preservation Association preparing candles and bamboo candle holders
Until 1960s, the stepped rice paddies in Terasaka, Yokoze-machi, were one of the famous rice producers with approximately 30 rice farmers, but the number of the farmers gradually decreased to 4 in around 2000, mainly because of the aging population. Back then, most of the fields were left uncultivated or unplanted for many years. This festival is also a symbol to feature the return of the farmers to the area.
Visitors enjoying outdoor concert on the last day of the festival
The turning point was 2001, when some of the local farmers opened Terasaka Stepped Rice Paddy School. It successfully gathered local residents who want to experience farming and gradually came to help the school reviving the unplanted rice paddies. The school also introduced a new scheme to welcome new paddy owners who wish to experience farming and make their own rice. Approximately 4 hectares out of 5.2 hectares of the stepped rice paddy fields currently produces rice.