Rice planting has begun at "Maruyama Senhita" in Kumano City, Mie Prefecture, where the landscape of 1,300 rice terraces is beautiful on a slope with an altitude difference of about 100 meters.
In February, Maruyama Senhada in Kumano City was certified as a "Tsunagu Rice Terraces Heritage" by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries for its excellent efforts for local people's conservation and regional promotion in addition to the beauty of the landscape. rice field.
From early morning on the 6th, seven members of the local preservation society put a small rice transplanter in the rice terraces and cultivated the seedlings of the new sapling "Natsuro" in the prefecture to suit the climate of Mie prefecture. I planted it.
Maruyama Senhada has an owner system in which people who are not local residents can experience rice planting and harvesting even if they are not local residents, in order to secure funds for conserving rice terraces.
On the 21st of this month, the owners will hold an event to experience rice planting for the first time in three years, and about half of the 4.2 hectares of rice terraces will be left unplanted for this event.
Toshio Kita, Chairman of the Maruyama Chihada Preservation Society, said, "We haven't been able to hold many events in the past two years due to the influence of the new coronavirus, but we are very pleased to have a rice planting gathering." Was there.