-
Beautiful mountain farmlands are yet another reason to visit rural Japan
投稿日 2018年6月6日 10:00:32 (ニュース)
-
続・お知らせ。海外セレブゴシップ&ニュース
-
お知らせ
-
We spot the legendary dekotora Aki Kannon, dedicated to actress and singer Aki Yashiro
-
New Pokémon GU collaboration dresses all the family, including babies for the first time
-
How do European Cup Noodles taste to a Japanese palate?
-
We’ve been doing it wrong – Japanese genius shows us how we should all be making sandwiches【Pics】
-
The future is now with full face sunglasses
-
Natto-infused ramen is a thing — we tried it, we love it【Taste test】
-
Jellyfish and Halloween in perfect harmony at Sumida Aquarium event
-
Japanese toilet paper collection opens our minds as we open our butts
-
Aomori police on the lookout for man shouting unsolicited advice at kids about dating and ramen
-
Former Arashi members Sho Sakurai and Masaki Aiba get married… Wait, that didn’t come out right
-
Creator of Japan’s longest-running manga, Golgo 13, passes away, leaves fans one last gift
-
Crazy cheap cosplay at Daiso? How to transform into Dragon Ball’s Vegeta at the discount shop
-
7 Halloween-themed afternoon teas you won’t want to miss this year
-
Krispy Kreme Japan creates doughnut burgers that are a meal and two desserts all in one【Photos】
-
Get in the damn drift car, Shinji? Evangelion Tomika toy brings D1 machine home in miniature form
-
Demon Slayer Nichiren Blades ready for new duty: Slicing through your sweets as dessert knives
-
Man in Japan arrested for breaking into ex-girlfriend’s apartment to steal her Nintendo Switch
-
The Japanese Internet chooses the top too-sexy-for-their-own-good male voices in anime
-
First-ever Studio Ghibli x Russell Athletic range pays homage to My Neighbour Totoro
-
Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Japan announces first expansion with new Donkey Kong area
-
Cup Noodle pouch satisfies our never-ending need for instant ramen
-
Retro Japanese train is our new favourite office space
-
How do Japanese fans feel about Netflix’s live-action Cowboy Bebop opening sequence?
-
We try Uniqlo coffee at first-ever cafe inside Ginza flagship store
-
The number of elderly people in Japan this year has yet again smashed multiple records
-
Mr. Sato broadens his home drinking horizons at Kaldi【Japan’s Best Home Senbero】
-
We try Japanese Twitter’s newest trend the Penguin Egg, end up hatching something very disturbing
-
Takoyaki makers surprisingly good at grilling meat for yakiniku too
Sponsored Link
As if you really needed more motivation…
While large cities like Tokyo and Osaka certainly have their own appeal, the Japanese countryside is really something special all on its own. Forests, lakes, waterfalls, and beaches…Japan has it all, and almost every inch of its rural land is breathtakingly beautiful.
There is one aspect of the lovely Japanese countryside that is part man-made, however: “satoyama” (里山). The word literally means mountain (山, やま) village (里, さと), but it’s much more than that. Satoyama refers to farmlands that are built on the base of a mountain or on the edge of mountain forests.
Satoyama include crop fields as well as forests of trees cultivated for lumber and firewood, but the first thing that comes to mind when we think of satoyama is rice paddies. Green land divided into perfect sections, with mountains rising in the background, is one of the most quintessential scenes of the Japanese countryside.
The neat lines of the rice paddies combined with the wild nature of the forested mountains behind them is a feature unique to satoyama. Of course, terraced rice paddies are also included.
Mt. Fuji is an excellent area to find satoyama, because the majesty of the mountain makes them very picturesque. Mt. Fuji is already gorgeous, but when it’s reflected in the water of a rice paddy, its beauty is doubled, so it’s a popular spot for photographers.
おはようございます。今朝は里山の水田で燃えるような朝焼けに出会えました! https://t.co/4tvA320TSn
—
Taitan (@taitan21) May 20, 2018
The carving of vegetable fields into mountainsides, not just rice paddies and not just at the base of mountains, is another kind of satoyama. These are amazing not only for their beauty but also for the mere fact that they were created and are maintained on the side of a mountain.
Sponsored Link
One key to the beauty of satoyama is the verdure of the crops. Japanese farms typically grow green plants like cabbage, potatoes, eggplants, and, of course, rice, as opposed to browner crops like wheat (though there are also wheat farms in Japan). This makes the farmland look like an extension of the mountain, and that could be why the Japanese countryside seems so lush for most of the year.
The old-style farm buildings that dot the farmlands could also be considered part of the visual charm of satoyama. Though the term itself refers mostly to landscaping, viewers can still appreciate the addition of these quaint, man-made features amidst the green of the fields.
But the thing that makes satoyama really special to Japanese people is that they don’t just sit on the border of the mountains; they work together with them in the name of biodiversity. Rice paddies are home to many insects and amphibians, who serve as sustenance for birds, and the cultivated mountain-base forests are host to a variety of plant and animal life. They’re an important ecological asset to the country, and that is what differentiates satoyama as a unique kind of farmland.
Given the cultural and ecological importance of satoyama and Japan’s reverence for nature in general, it’s no surprise that they have also been deliberately drawn into the scenery of many anime. My Neighbor Totoro, for example, is set in a colorful and detailed rendering of a satoyama northwest of Tokyo, which left a lasting impression in many viewers’ hearts and minds.
While, sadly, many satoyama are falling into disrepair (in part because of the modernization of Japan), beautiful satoyama still exist all across the country. Merely traveling an hour outside of Tokyo in just about any direction will bring you to picturesque satoyama views, so on your next trip to Japan, take some time to enjoy the sights of these beautiful mountain farmlands.
Source, featured image: Twitter/@taitan21
Source: SORA NEWS24
Sponsored Link
最新情報