Rice field art --

Each year, farmers in the town of Inakadate in Aomori prefecture create works of crop art by growing a little purple and yellow-leafed kodaimai rice along with their local green-leafed tsugaru-roman variety. This year's creation -- a pair of grassy reproductions of famous woodblock prints from Hokusai's 36 Views of Mount Fuji -- has begun to appear (above). It will be visible until the rice is harvested in September.

Hokusai woodblock prints --

The residents of Inakadate have been drawing pictures with rice since 1993. Here are a few crops from the recent past, found at this site.

Rice field art --
2006

Rice field art --
2005

Rice field art --
2002

While Inakadate is Japan's most famous rice paddy decorating town, a couple of other places in Japan have joined in the fun.

Rice field art ---
Yonezawa, Yamagata prefecture, 2007

Rice field art --
Yonezawa, Yamagata prefecture, 2006

Rice field art --
Nishio, Aichi prefecture (2005, 2006)

UPDATE (Oct 1, 2007): Check out photos of the 2007 harvest HERE.