Explore the Maruyama Senmaida Rice Terraces Taking in the terraced hillside with mehari sushi

From a lookout, I took in Maruyama Senmaida, with small rice paddies stepping down the hillside. It was a morning in early June, and the sky was reflected in the water, with narrow ridges winding between the fields. I'd imagined rows of square plots, so the curving terraces felt like a surprise. Every one had a different shape, and my eyes kept moving to the next.

I showed up in a light blue checked top and white shorts, sunglasses still perched on my head, and held the mehari sushi I'd brought close to my chest. I could peel back the paper and eat it right away, but I still wanted to look at the view. Beyond the leaf of pickled mustard greens, I could see rows and rows of paddies. Suddenly, the lunch I'd brought and the scene in front of me felt connected.

There are 1,340 paddies today. The Asano land survey register from 1601 records more than 2,200 rice paddies here. I never would have imagined so many plots on one hillside just by looking at a map. Those narrow ridges I can see from here were shaped by someone turning the soil, stacking stones, and working with their hands.

I learned that residents formed a preservation society in 1993, and by 1997 the paddies had been restored to 1,340 plots. I thought this landscape had simply stayed the same all along, but it had also been brought back by people determined to protect it. As I admired the shape of each paddy, I found myself wanting to come back and see them again.

At last, I took a bite of the mehari sushi, leaf and all. It's a simple Kumano lunch of rice wrapped in pickled mustard greens. My mouth was full, and I couldn't say a word while I ate. My eyes, though, stayed on the terraces. Eating lunch while looking out over the paddies made me realize I could enjoy the food and the scenery together. It made me so happy.

After eating, I took in the layers of mountains in the distance. My gaze followed the curves of the terraces, then swept out beyond them. I was glad I brought a local specialty and made time simply to take in the view. Before leaving, I looked back at the small plots in the foreground. This time, I noticed the curves of the ridges I'd missed at first, and stopped all over again.