Rice paddy and the river

 The building is an apartment house with 18 units. In this part of town, the southern half, there is a limit on the height of buildings. They can not exceed three stories. In the area around my apartment building, the newer buildings are all at least ten stories and most more.

Actually the interesting thing in this picture, to me anyway, is the area that looks like a dirt field. Actually it is a rice paddy. The area used to be mostly rice paddies but as the farms have sold off the land buildings have started springing up so there is a mix of paddies and buildings.

In the past, the farmer's son would take over the farm when the farmer retired. The land would pass from father to son, over and over again, and be continuously farmed. However, the young people today do not want to become farmers, so the farm land is gradually being sold off and used for other purposes. One reason that this is possible is that farming has become more efficient and more rice can be grown on smaller plots of land. Also there is the fact that the Japanese are eating less rice than they used to.

The Naka River, Nakagawa, as seen though the trees.