As an aficionado of the unusual, I was recently gob smacked by an e-mail about “Rice Paddy Art” This type of artwork is produced by strategically arranging and growing different colours of rice plants. As summer progresses, crops of rice paddy art are beginning to emerge across Japan, the finest examples in the village of Inakadate, which has earned a reputation for its agricultural artistry.

The photo to the left is a close-up shot of some of the different varieties of rice that are used.

Rice Paddy Art began attaining popularity as recently as 2006, when in an attempt to re-invigorate the town, hundreds of villagers banded together and started the rice festival. Their efforts certainly paid off, for in 2006 they had more than 200 000 visitors alone!!

The next few images are time lapsed shots showing how the rice gets planted, through to its maturation. It may not look like much initially, but the end result is something truly amazing. As you can see, this is a team effort and one mammoth undertaking. Like all great masterpieces, time and patience are the hallmarks of success. The photo on the right shows the initial planting phase.

The next three photos below show the actual development of the image. If you don’t find this impressive then there is seriously something wrong with you!


The image on the left is another close up of the acual plants. I can assure you these clever Japs are not using any dyes or paints. What is being taken into account is “the bigger picture” (no pun intended) Personally I can’t even grow a bloody cactus, let alone something on such a grand scale as this. But now you know how it works, let me show you some of their other designs.

CHECK THESE!!

The images can even be seen on Google Earth, but the resolution is a bit poor and they don’t look as impressive as they deserve.

Kinda makes crop circles seem a bit mundane don’t you think?

Anyway… thats what I wanted to share. Hope you enjoyed it!