Inabuchi Terraced Rice Fields

One of Japan's 100 finest terraced rice fields

These terraced rice fields spread over the south-facing slopes of Inabuchi, on the upper reaches of the Asuka River. Around 300 paddies of all sizes are stacked in steps along the valley.

In 1999 they were chosen by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries as one of the "100 Best Terraced Rice Fields of Japan."

An Important Cultural Landscape

In 2011, the area of Inabuchi, Kayanomori and Nyūdani was selected as a national Important Cultural Landscape under the name "Cultural Landscape of Oku-Asuka."

It was chosen not only for its beauty. What was valued was that the whole system for growing rice in the mountains survives intact: the way the water channels are drawn, the way the ridges between paddies are built, and the way the village and its fields relate to each other.

The scarecrow contest

Every autumn a scarecrow contest is held. Scarecrows sent in from inside and outside the village line the paths through the terraces, and at the centre stands a towering "jumbo scarecrow."

The theme changes every year, so you will never see the same one twice. Each year's mood and events take shape as scarecrows.

At this time of year, red spider lilies line the ridges, set against the green of the rice before harvest. This is the season for which the Inabuchi terraces are best known.

Through the seasons

But the terraces look completely different in every season.

In early summer, the flooded paddies reflect the sky, tier upon tier. In summer the rice grows tall and the whole slope turns green, and in winter, after the harvest, cone-shaped stacks of rice straw called nio dot the fields.

In any season, you can see across to the hills and village on the other side of the valley.

Visiting

About 10 minutes on foot from the "Inabuchi" stop on the Asuka loop bus from Kintetsu Kashiharajingu-mae Station. You can also walk up the slope south from Ishibutai Kofun.

The terraces are not a visitor attraction but working farmland where rice is still grown. Please stay off the ridges between the paddies and enjoy the view from the road.