The dramatic rice fields of Japan are a powerful feature of its landscape and cultural heritage.
But the age old practice of cultivation is in danger.
The lure of city life is draining the countryside of its youth, and farmers are finding it more and more difficult to harvest their crops.
But there are small signs of hope.
Al Jazeera's Divya Gopalan reports from Chikuma, where there's renewed vigour for keeping the rice paddies alive.
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