If you are ever in Asahikawa (Hokkaido, Japan) and want to see something interesting, slightly to the north is an art installation that changes every year. Rather than using the medium of clay, stone, paints or other traditional artistic matierls, JA Taisetsu has created a field where rice is the medium of choice. The Tanbo Art Rice Field is an installation that changes every year.

This year, the Tanbo Art Rice Field shows Matsuko Deluxe, a Japanese columnist, essayist, and TV personality who is a cross-dressing gay man. He is flanked on either side by Atakasu-kun and Asappi, two characters that promote Asahikawa and the surrounding area. This celebrates a 10-year collaboration between Matsuko and Hokkaido rice.

The art is made from different kinds of rice, each of which has stems of various colours. The graphic is designed and then the corresponding rice plants are planted to create the pattern. The pattern changes every year. Here are some from previous years:

To get the full view of the art, you need to climb to the top of an observation tower. Here are some attempts at panoramas of the rice field:

How to get to Tanbo Art Rice Field

Unfortunately if you do not have a cr, getting to Tanbo Art Rice Field is not hte easiest of tasks. From Asahikawa station, it would take you 28 minutes to drive. There is a bus (the number 17) that goes directly there twice a day: once at 8:45 a.m. and once at noon (depending on the day). That journey will take you an hour. If you are not able to catch either of those ones, you can also take the number 5 to 1-Sen 19-go (about half an hour) and then walk one hour to get to the field.

On the plus side, if you do make it to there, the installation is free to view!

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