Farmer harvesting rice

This picture was taken in Ishikawa. It was enlarged and cropped to focus on the farmer. Outside the frame, in the background, is the Sea of Japan. The picture was taken at the side of a relatively busy highway. So the rice paddy is exposed to car exhaust. Along the highway are businesses. Ishikawa is rather rural but the urban areas are creeping in, just as they have in the larger Japanese cities. You can often see a rice paddy in the middle of an urban area, including residential and commercial areas.