Ini Tanada [signboard]
Ini Tanada is a series of terraced rice fields where traces of early Edo-period (1603–1868) farming practices can still be seen. The area is situated 450 to 550 meters above sea level and the rice fields are irrigated with streams draining out of the surrounding steep mountains. The oldest of the stone retaining walls that support the paddies date to the Sengoku period (1467–1568). The landscape changes with the seasons, the flooded paddies mirroring the sky in spring, the lush growing rice a green patchwork in summer, and the golden hues of autumn following the harvest season.
In the 1990s, local residents joined forces to maintain the Ini Tanada paddies despite the decline in the number of farmers. Special events take place in spring and autumn, when visitors can participate in planting and harvesting rice, allowing out-of-towners to interact with residents and support their efforts. These events also provide an opportunity for local farmers to pass down traditional methods of planting, harvesting, and drying rice to younger people without such knowledge.