田んぼアート (@ 道の駅 いなかだて 弥生の里 in 田舎館村, 青森県) https://t.co/2bH7hW3zsk pic.twitter.com/CIuRKB4Bio

— ふっとさん 腰痛リハビリ完了 (@blu_front) July 15, 2018

Each year, a pair of the Aomori Prefecture town’s fields are used to create amazing rice paddy art (or tambo art, as it’s called in Japanese). With summer here, this year’s designs have reached their best viewing season, and the project’s organizers and visitors have been sharing photos online, enticing visitors to make the tip up to the northernmost prefecture of Japan’s main island of Honshu.

This year, the project tips its hat to two beloved stories from the 1950s. In Field #2, Atom/Astro Boy, the iconic robot hero created by “God of Manga” Osamu Tezuka, strikes his signature pose as part of a salute to the extended pantheon of Tezuka characters.

おはよう🌥ございます
田んぼアート🌾
上から見るか下から見るか🤳
300円👛 てっぺん🏯登るには
プラス200円東京タワー🗼商法
しかし考えさせられるコピーだなあ自分👴🏽
いなかだてずぷらいど👊 pic.twitter.com/FsgBsSvWOg

— 津軽バガボンド@うぃるはるスタ イースタン千葉ロッテ (@tugarar) July 8, 2018

Meanwhile, in Field #1, Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck zoom off on a Vespa, then share a tender moment in front of the Mouth of Truth as part of their Roman Holiday.

As breathtakingly detailed as the artwork looks from above, at ground-level it can initially look just like a haphazard field of different strains of rice. From the viewing platforms, though, it becomes clear that each and every stalk of rice was planted in a specific location to create the stunning agricultural mosaics.

For those interested in seeing the astonishing sight with their own eyes, the closest stations are Inakadate Station and Tambo Art Station, the latter of which was specifically constructed to help travelers coming to see the fields. A free shuttle runs between Tambo Art Station and the fields, with departures roughly once an hour (schedules here and here).

こちらは第2田んぼアート会場の弥生の里展望所（道の駅いなかだて敷地内）で撮影した田んぼアート「手塚治虫キャラクター（左にはレオとアトムもいます）」と石アート「惜しまれる人（美空ひばりさん、ダイアナ妃）」です。 pic.twitter.com/blc4E3ndYQ

— いくの＠五等分の花嫁三玖命 (@aonohito3) July 14, 2018

There’s also a “stone art” installation, with a likeness of Princess Diana next to Astro Boy, as well as one of Japanese singer Hibari Misora.

The organizers say the artwork is now in its optimal viewing condition, and will continue to be so until the middle of August. However, photos from 2017 show that as it gets deeper into fall, the rice paddy artwork changes hues, with an evolving aesthetic that gives each month its own unique charm. Pictured above, the characters, Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler embrace one another from the movie, Gone with the Wind. The photo was taken on July 30th.

However, by October 8, 2017, the vibrant lush green fields turned to a mustard yellow and dusty brown field—thereby more closely resembling the hues of original photo that features a burning house in the background.

You won't want to wait too long, since the last day to view this year’s rice paddy art, prior to harvesting, will be October 8, 2018.

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