Vending machines are a very common sight. You can find them anywhere, even out in the middle of a field. I have decided that there is no reason for anyone in Japan to become dehydrated. This one is right along a sidewalk, at the edge of a parking lot.

This is a field just on the other side of our loop. The attachement to the tractor rolls out plastic to cover the row. Not sure if there are plantings under there or not. Or what was planted. The wife is following along, as one of the wheels on the attachement was sticking, and not burying the edge of the plastic.

Newly flooded rice paddy. After it is flooded to the right depth, tractors come out with special attachements on their wheels (to help them through the muck) and plow.

Newly planted rice paddy.

The tractor they use to plant the rice with. It looks like a 4 wheel ATV, but with skinnier tires. There is a machine in front that automatically plants the rice starts.

The rice is actually started in a greenhouse in flats. It looks like lush grass growing in there. Not sure if the farmers wait til it's a certain height to put it out in the fields, or if it's dependent on the weather. The weather fluctuates wildy here. Right now it is mainly in the 70's, but last week it got back down to the 40's.