Yamagata Pref. Rice Paddies Create Autumnal Landscape

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:18 JST, October 8, 2025

YAMAGATA — A traditional method of sun-drying harvested rice in stacks can be seen in the Owarabi district’s rice terraces in Yamanobe, Yamagata Prefecture. The district is designated as one of the top 100 terraced rice paddies in the country.

About 1,000 wood stakes, each 2 meters tall, are stacked with sheaves of rice and lined in neat rows across the terraced fields measuring 2.5 hectares, creating a scenic autumn landscape.

This traditional farming method is believed to make the rice taste sweet. The rice will dry for about three weeks.

The terrace’s preservation society has taken over to the process due the aging of farmers in recent years.

“These terraced fields and the work sun-drying the rice are the original landscape of this district,” said Kazuyuki Inamura, 72, who heads the society. “The rice overcame the low rainfall and turned out well again this year.”