Fujikawa: Preparing Rice Fields

In Japan space is at a premium and rice fields often extend to the edges of roads, housing, and even train tracks. After fields are plowed, seedlings are transplanted into the beds which are then flooded with a few inches of water. The warmth of the sun and the water provide an excellent environment for the seedlings to grow. This also aids the hatching of mosquitoes that spread malaria and encephalitis which are endemic across Eastern Asia.