For the Japanese, rice paddies are a symbol of their land. So much is contained within their land: the soil of their ancestors, the water that binds them together, the changing colors of the seasons, life in harmony with nature, and the longing for their homeland.
While Japan is today a highly urbanized and industrialized nation, it has never lost its agrarian identity. Rice and rituals are intertwined. Legends tell that rice arrived with the creator gods of the imperial lineage and the Japanese people themselves. And through the generosity and perseverance of intense collective labor, landscapes of breathtaking beauty have emerged for centuries.
What could be more natural than to give this heritage a form of art? Japanese farmers planted ancient varieties of multicolored rice to create frescoes that can be admired from above.