Oh Burn!

It is often said that rice farming can be detrimental to local air quality. In America some states have even gone as far as to pass legislation to help alleviate this problem. The reason for this is that in most areas of the world where rice is grown, the climate only allows for one season's worth of harvest. Afterwards, farmers are left with a field full of rice straw, which is generally burned to prepare the land for the next season. Well, with the bitter cold of winter quickly approaching (as anyone in Aomori can tell you), most of the numerous rice fields in the area look like the one above; dotted with cones of straw quietly awaiting the torch.