Rice Planting Resumes at Earthquake-Damaged Shiroyone Senmaida Terraces in Ishikawa Pref.; Recovery Ongoing

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:06 JST, May 12, 2024

WAJIMA, Ishikawa — Rice planting kicked off at the Shiroyone Senmaida rice terraces in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Saturday.

These terraces, a nationally recognized scenic spot, were damaged in the Noto Peninsula Earthquake on Jan. 1. Out of 1,004 rice paddies, seedlings will be planted in 120 that suffered less damage or have been repaired by the end of this month.

On the day, 55 people from across the nation who own and support the rice terraces planted seedlings by hand. A 33-year-old woman from Otsu, Shiga Prefecture, said, “I thought we couldn’t plant rice this year, so I’m glad [to be able to do it].”

According to a group that manages the rice terraces, complete repairs are expected to take more than a year. “The road ahead [to full recovery] is long, but we’d like to make the rice paddies even more vibrant next year,” said the group’s 60-year-old representative.