July 29
The town of Gyoda, Japan, has put itself on the map with a sizable tradition. Every year, the village rallies volunteers to create a massive work of rice paddy art, also known as tanbo art. (Their efforts have even earned them a spot in the Guinness World Records for the World’s Largest Rice Paddy Art.) Always up for a challenge, the organizers select a different theme each year. For the 2026 edition, the team put together a design inspired by Minecraft, a popular 3D video game.
The design spans almost three hectares and depicts a multitude of Minecraft motifs. It prominently features Alex and Steve, two of the earliest playable characters, surrounded by mobs—AKA different creatures controlled by the game, including a wolf, a pig, and a bee. The figures surround a brick-style depiction of the village’s Gyoda Tower, with the infamous Creeper, the most emblematic monster in the Minecraft universe, looming over the scene.
To bring this design to life, a thousand participants planted rice seedlings in four colors. “Their feet sank into the muddy rice paddies, causing them to scream in pain, but they enjoyed the rice planting, an experience they don’t usually get to have,” wrote the organizers. “The participants checked the spots where they had planted their trees, letting their imaginations run wild as they envisioned the finished product on the large canvas.”
The rice seedlings were planted in mid-June, allowing the design to reach its peak in late July. The organizers, however, expect the tanbo art to stay vibrant enough to be visible through October. This long stretch is key to the city’s tourism ventures, as many people go on day trips from Tokyo to catch a glimpse of these world-famous rice fields.
This is not the first time Gyoda has used pop culture as the main inspiration for its designs. Last year, the field became a portrait of Tanjiro Kamado, the lead character from Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, ahead of the release of the movie Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba–The Movie: Infinity Castle, which topped the box office in Japan. But regardless of the theme, the true star of the show is team effort. A single rice seedling may not seem like much, but each one is like a brushstroke in these sprawling artworks.
See how the Minecraft rice paddy art evolved since it was planted below.
Every year, the town of Gyoda in Japan rallies volunteers to create a massive work of rice paddy art. This year, they devoted it to Minecraft.
Rice paddy art immediately after planting
June 24
June 30
July 8
July 14
July 21
“The participants checked the spots where they had planted their trees, letting their imaginations run wild as they envisioned the finished product on the large canvas.”
Sources: 2026 “Rice Paddy Art” in Gyoda
All images via Gyoda City.
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