Yusumizugaura Terraced Fields

The Yusumizugaura Terraced Fields in Uwajima are a remarkable feat of agricultural persistence, built by fishing families who needed to grow crops on the scarce flat land along the rugged Uwakai coast. Dry stone walls support rows of narrow two-meter-wide fields stacked at steep 45-degree angles, rising from sea level to the hilltop. In spring the fields are planted with potatoes and early vegetables, green against the grey stone and blue sea. A walking path leads through the terraces to a viewpoint where the full geometry of stone and soil meeting the coast below comes into focus.