Mascot characters, a hometown hero, and creative ice cream make this a great place to pull over in Japan’s northernmost prefecture.

Once you get out of the city centers, Hokkaido Prefecture has some of the most expansively wide-open spaces in all of Japan. But if you’re driving through the rural farmland of the town of Asahikawa right now, at one spot you’ll probably notice more cars parked than at the average field in the area.

This is the parking lot for JA Taisetsu, a small produce market and space for local community events. As for why there’s an observation platform next to the main building?

That’s so that you can climb the steps up to the top…

…and observe…

…the amazing rice field art!

Though most rice stalks turn a golden light brown in the fall around harvesting time and the grains are then polished (ground, actually) to a white color, depending on the specific type of rice the plants can appear as a variety of hues, from pale green to dark brown, during the summer months. Because of that, artistically minded agriculturists can, with careful planning and precise hand-planting, make mosaics out of the crops. Planting takes place in the spring, though, and it’s not until months later that the plants will have matured and the full artistic effect can be appreciated.

But right now this year’s Asahikawa rice paddy art is reaching its peak beauty, or perhaps its peak adorableness is the better description. The town changes the design every year, but for 2025 it features Asappi, Asahikawa’s polar bear/spotted seal mascot character, and Attakasu-kun, the hawk goodwill ambassador for Takasucho, the district of Asahikawa that includes the rice paddy art field.

Also represented in this year’s paddy is Haruka Kitaguchi, the Asahikawa-born track and field athlete who won the gold medal in the women’s javelin throw at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

There’s no admission fee charged to walk up to the top of the observation deck and take in the view, and while you’re up there you can also see all the way to the the Daisetsuzan mountain range. There is, however, a donation box for those who’d like to voluntarily contribute to the rice paddy art’s development and maintenance.

Another way you can show your support is to buy something at the attached shop that’s periodically open. On our visit, we treated ourselves to some hojicha (roasted green tea) ice cream with grains of locally grown rice in it, and also picked up some corn soup packets to take home, all of which was delicious.

▼ The location of the paddy

As a living work of public art, Asahikawa’s 2025 rice paddy art won’t last forever, but it should still be looking good through mid-August. And if you want to experience even more of this unique art style, there’s a paddy worth checking out in baseball star Shohei Ohtani’s hometown in Iwate Prefecture too.

Location information
JA Taisetsu Rice Paddy Art / Aたいせつ田んぼアート
Address: Hokkaido, Asahikawa, Higashi Takasu, Route 7
Website

Photos ©SoraNews24
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