Annual festival of straw sculptures Wara Art Festival in Japan

September is the rice harvest season in Japan and instead of throwing away the rice straw, the Japanese hold the Wara Art Festival every year. At this festival, local artists build intricate straw sculptures on wooden structures.

This year, Uwasekigata Park in Niigata Prefecture is hosting the 14th annual Wara Art Festival, featuring massive sculptures made from rice straw, known in Japanese as "wara" from August 28 to October 31, 2022.

The theme of the festival this year is "things that bring happiness", so all the works are united by this idea. This year's sculptures include the maneki-neko, or "Alluring Cat", a pine tree and the Chinese mythical creature qilin (or kirin).

We offer a look at the sculptures presented this year and in previous years.