Iriya Wetland Rice Fields

The Iriya district of Minamisanriku is a traditional satoyama landscape where mountain forest edges meet small-scale farming communities. The district was once a center for gold mining, but today it is known for its terraced rice paddies. Paddies fill with water in early summer and are harvested in autumn, and throughout that cycle the flooded fields support a summer community of Japanese tree frogs, Japanese brown frogs, fire-belly newts, leeches, and water insects including diving beetles and water stick insects. Each season brings a different aspect of the landscape, and the terraces themselves are worth visiting simply for the views across the valley.