Giant Straw Creatures – Wara Art Annual Festival

If you visit Niigata Prefecture during the region’s annual rice harvest, you’re likely to find huge tarantulas, eagles, and dinosaur-like creatures stalking the landscape. The towering sculptures are part of the Wara Art Festival , a summer event that displays huge animals and mythical creations all made from straw left over from the rice harvest.

【上堰潟公園／新潟市】

今年の「わらアート」も迫力満点な作品揃い！！
クマの表情がすごくリアル・・・🤣

わらアートの展示は10/31までぜひ足を運んでみてくださいね😉 https://t.co/MnP3ldbVco #新潟#観光#わらー・Yrbpic.twitter.com/zJrJBpic.twitter.com

– 新潟県観光協会【公式】 (@umasaniigata) September 12, 2019

Traditionally, all of this straw was used for livestock feed, compote to revitalize the soil, and to make household items such as zori sandals . However, farmers have increasingly found themselves with a surplus as agricultural technology and culture change. This change has caused a partnership between the people of the former village of Iwamuro , which is now the Nishikan district, and Tokyo’s Musashino Art University (known colloquially as Musabi ) in 2006. At the time, the Department of Science professor of Design Shingo Miyajima suggested that the straw be used in a collaborative art project between the university and local farmers, resulting in the first Wara Art Festival in 2008 .

Today, students design these gigantic characters, and craftsmen from the Nishikan Ward build the wooden frame and cover them with straw. The monumental figures rise to a height of almost 10 meters and loom over the verdant landscape in a playful celebration of local culture.

Although the festival was halted in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is back for its 13th edition at Uwasekigata Park . This year’s diverse cast includes insects, animals, and even legendary monsters like Amabie , and they can be seen on display through October 31.

Ideal for a family outing, the festival’s Facebook page features visitors of all ages posing for photos inside the gaping jaws of a crocodile or on the lap of a giant gorilla. The festival only has one request from visitors to ensure the safety of the exhibits.

Niigata is very easy to get to by train , including the super- fast Shinkansen or bullet train , making it a comfortable ride from Tokyo. And although it is possible to travel by plane, bus or boat, the train offers the best prices and convenience of all . For an even better price, we recommend traveling with the Japan Railways universal pass called JR PASS , which you can purchase on their website. This pass is purchased before traveling to Japan , arriving at the airport or at any train station , you can pick up your pass with proof of purchase .