Japan’s rice paddy artist unveils tribute to NHK drama, local comedians

Rice paddy artist Tokio Nakano’s latest work in Nasushiobara, Tochigi Prefecture, honours Chika Ozeki, the real Meiji-era woman who inspired the nurse lead in NHK’s current morning drama “Kaze, Kaoru,” alongside local singer Rie Utagokoro, according to SoraNews24. The kanji character for “wind” sits between the two figures in the design, a nod to the show’s title.

The 81-year-old Nakano has led his family’s rice paddy art project for sixteen years, using eight rice varieties with different leaf colours and growth speeds to “paint” images across the fields. The process starts with a blueprint sketch, followed by variety selection, a night-time projection to mark planting zones, and finally hand-planting each seedling as a family.

This year’s main artwork opened to the public on 18 June. For the first time in the project’s history, a second art site debuted on 1 July, featuring comedian duo Ujikoji, returning after a two-year gap, and Kaminari, making its debut in paddy form.

Visitors can view the artwork until the season’s first frost, since a second rice crop grows in after the initial harvest at the end of September.