(あおもり)

Aomori

(たんぼ)

rice paddy / rice field

(あーと)

art

(てーま)

theme, topic

(ゆうれい)

ghost

(あおもりけん)

Aomori Prefecture

(ことし)

this year

(はじまる)

to begin

(いろ)

color

(ちがう)

to differ; to be different

(いね)

rice plant, paddy

(うえる)

to plant

(おおきな)

big (attrib.)

(え)

picture, drawing

(かく)

to draw, paint

(もの)

thing

(とおく)

far away / distance

(みる)

to see, watch

(まるで)

just like, as if

(みえる)

to be visible, can see

(にほん)

Japan

(むかしばなし)

old tale, folk story

(でてくる)

to appear, come out

(うえ)

top, above

(おおきい)

big; large

(すこし)

a little

(こわい)

scary / frightening

(こまかい)

fine / small

(ところ)

place

(とても)

very; extremely

(きれい)

pretty, clean

(つくる)

to make

(まいとし)

every year

(おおい)

many

(かんこうきゃく)

tourist; sightseer

(あつめる)

to collect

(そだつ)

to grow up / to be raised

(かわる)

to change

(じもと)

local / one's hometown

(ひと)

person / people

(あき)

autumn; fall

(かる)

to cut, to shear, to mow

(たのしむ)

to enjoy

(はなす)

to speak, talk

the term ~ means (definition)

～とは introduces a definition or explanation of a term. 宇宙ごみとは means 'what is called space debris is...'.

and (connecting actions)

The te-form links successive actions — planting the rice and then making the picture, comparing and then enjoying.

if / when (natural consequence)

Conditional と indicating a natural or expected result. 一緒に捨てると…火が出て means 'if you throw them away together, fire starts.'

like / as if

Combined with まるで to compare the paddy to a real painting.

passive form

Passive voice. 愛される means 'to be loved', describing the kind of store the worker aspires to create.

is doing, has been doing (ongoing state/action)

Expresses a continuing action or resulting state. Formed with て-form + いる. Can describe an action in progress or a state resulting from a past change.

as / in proportion to

Shows that as the rice grows, the colors of the picture change along with it.

to go on doing / continue to (from now)

In '増えていく' – 'will continue to increase (into the future)'. Indicates continuing trend going forward.

until / as far as

Indicates an end point in space or time. Here it expresses how far the balls flew.

quotative particle

Marks the content of what someone said or reported. Used with 言う here.

青森の田んぼアート　テーマは「幽霊」

Aomori's rice paddy art — the theme is 'ghosts'

青森県で、今年も「田んぼアート」が始まりました。

In Aomori Prefecture, rice paddy art has begun again this year.

田んぼアートとは、色の違う稲を植えて、田んぼに大きな絵を描くものです。

Rice paddy art is planting rice plants of different colors to draw a big picture in a paddy field.

遠くから見ると、まるで絵のように見えます。

When you look from far away, it looks just like a painting.

今年のテーマは「幽霊」です。

This year's theme is 'ghosts'.

日本の昔話に出てくる幽霊が、田んぼの上に大きく描かれています。

A ghost that appears in a Japanese folk tale is drawn large on the rice field.

少し怖いですが、細かいところまでとてもきれいに作られています。

It is a little scary, but it is made very beautifully down to the fine details.

この田んぼアートは、毎年多くの観光客を集めています。

This rice paddy art draws many tourists every year.

稲が育つにつれて、絵の色も変わっていきます。

As the rice grows, the colors of the picture also change.

地元の人たちは、秋に稲を刈るまで楽しめると話しています。

Local people say they can enjoy it until they harvest the rice in autumn.