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Tanbo is an art form from Japan in which Japanese people plant different colored rice varieties to create giant murals in the fields.
The Tanbo art movement originated in 1993, when the village of Inakadate, 600 miles north of Tokyo, sought a way to revitalize its regional economy. They wanted to invest in tourism and attract visitors. This is how the Tanbo rice paddies came into existence.
Every April, the villagers gather to decide which type of rice to plant that year. Along with the crops, they also create Tanbo diagrams on a computer to determine exactly which color of crop will be planted where.
In 2007, as many as 700 people gathered in Inakadate to cultivate rice according to the sketch. In this village, the area of rice paddies used for Tanbo art reached 15,000 square meters.
The ideal time to visit these artistic masterpieces in the rice fields is in September, when the rice ripens to its perfect color, creating stunning visual displays. Many elevated viewing towers have been built to offer views of these colossal rice field masterpieces in Japan.
There are four rice varieties, including both traditional and modern types, grown in the fields, the most notable of which is the Kodaimai rice variety with its beautiful purple and yellow colors.
Following the example of Inakadate village, other villages such as Yonezama and Yamagata have also begun to adopt the art of Tanbo. Some villages even hold rice planting competitions that create masterpieces of art, attracting many tourists.
