Sat
Jun 14th
- 1 min read

Otaue Rice Planting Festival 2025

An age-old festival celebrates Japan's staple food

When
Saturday - Jun 14th 2025

Rice is Japan's staple crop and there is no better way to celebrate that crucial relationship than at the annual Otaue Rice Planting Festival at Sumiyoshi Shrine. Shinto priests oversee the symbolic planting of the shrine's flooded rice paddy, while entertainment in the form of dancing, singing and play sword-fighting accompanies the proceedings. It's a unique event that is definitely worth seeking out if you are in the region in June.

More info

Find out more about Sumiyoshi Taisha.

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Elena Lisina 5 years ago
I like traditions that are carefully kept in Japan.
Kim Bergström 5 years ago
Planting by hand is hard work! Living in Niigata, I've had the opportunity to try it, and I can only think about how thankful I'd be for modern machinery if I was in the farming industry! It certainly gives you a whole new appreciation for rice!
Cordelia Ding 8 years ago
This looks so exciting!
Shri Bhagwan Sharma 8 years ago
my native place is popular paddy / rice planting area. We like to do our tradition job. it is still going on in my village. i am in service, but my relatives are still doing this job.as shown in picture,we are rooting out the paddy plant in pre prepared land in same manner shown shown in this picture. one difference I observed here the people doing planting in this picture here and there but we are planting rice in systematic row or columns. all workmen start from one end and go to another end in same manner. thanks for sharing this festival
Shri Bhagwan Sharma 8 years ago
Good Quality PICTURES

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