Château de Hirosaki

Inakadate Rice Art Fields

Inakadate in Aomori Prefecture is famous for its stunning and intricate rice paddy art. What began in 1993 with purple and yellow rice plants forming a picture of Mt. Iwaki has since grown into an annual event that draws in hundreds of thousands of visitors from around Japan and even internationally. The main purpose of the project was to show the tradition of manual work in the fields and in rice cultivation. This gave people a way to learn more about the dying art of rice farming and agriculture as society is fast-shifting toward a more urban lifestyle. Traditional rice farmers took advantage of the growing interest in rice art to make Inakadate a booming tourist center. In 2014, even the Emperor and Empress of Japan visited the site. At the beginning of June every year, guests can get their feet wet in the rice fields and learn how to plant the variants of rice to create that year’s picture. Then, later in the year at the end of September, it’s time to harvest that beautiful rice. If you decide to try your hand at planting or harvesting the rice, you’ll get a free lunch of onigiri and pork miso soup. Prior registration is required for either event and manual-labor clothing is expected.