Shiroyone Senmaida (Thousand Rice Terraces)

Shiroyone Senmaida is a beautiful terraced rice field located in Shiroyone Town, Wajima City, Ishikawa Prefecture, facing the Sea of Japan. On a steep slope descending toward the sea in Oku-Noto, as many as 1,004 small paddies of various sizes are arranged in layers, creating a distinctive geometric landscape. This scenery has been designated as one of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries’ “Tsunagu Tanada Heritage” sites and as a “National Place of Scenic Beauty” by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, and is highly valued as a leading tourist and cultural asset of Oku-Noto.

Each paddy at Shiroyone Senmaida is extremely small, averaging about 18 square meters, with the smallest measuring only about 50 centimeters on a side. Because of this, the use of agricultural machinery is difficult, and even today tasks such as plowing, rice planting, weeding, and harvesting are carried out by hand by local residents and volunteers from across Japan. These human efforts have supported the terraced landscape to the present day.

In 2011, “Noto’s Satoyama and Satoumi” was recognized as Japan’s first Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System, and Shiroyone Senmaida is regarded as one of its symbolic components. It conveys the way of life and agriculture unique to Noto, where satoyama and satoumi are closely interconnected, and efforts are also being made to preserve traditional agricultural culture, including the revival in 2014 of “Ina-da,” a method of direct seeding rice that dates back to ancient Japanese farming practices.

Shiroyone Senmaida is also known for the different expressions it shows throughout the four seasons. In spring, the flooded paddies reflect the sky and sunlight, shining brightly. In summer, the green rice plants and blue sea create a vivid contrast. In autumn, golden rice ears sway in the wind, evoking a beloved rural landscape of Japan along with the joy of the harvest. In winter, a quiet snowscape unfolds, and from mid-October to mid-March, the illumination event “Aze no Kirameki” is held. Environmentally friendly LED lights powered by solar energy illuminate the terraces fantastically, changing color every 15 minutes.

Shiroyone Senmaida also offers an “owner system,” through which those who wish can lease an uncultivated paddy and have their own “my rice field.” Participation in the work is not mandatory, and people from all over the country take part in preserving the terraced fields whenever it is convenient for them. This system plays an important role in passing on the significance of rice cultivation to the next generation while connecting the local community with visitors.

Shiroyone Senmaida is the crystallization of people’s lives and labor cultivated under harsh natural conditions, and it has also played roles in preventing landslides and maintaining the ecosystem. Formed through the integration of nature, culture, and human activity, this terraced rice field is an irreplaceable scenic heritage site that symbolizes Japan’s beautiful traditional rural landscape.