Access

You can see rice paddy ard of Demon Slayer from the observation room of Gyoda Tower at the Ancient Lotus Park in Gyoda City, Saitama Prefecture.

Gyoda City is located in the northern part of Saitama Prefecture, taking just under an hour by train from Ikebukuro Station in Tokyo.

The nearest stations are the following four:

• ・Gyoda Station (行田駅) (JR Takasaki Line) (about 4.5 km)
• ・Fukiage Station (吹上駅) (JR Takasaki Line) (about 8 km)
• ・Gyodashi Station (秩父鉄道) (Chichibu Railway) (about 5 km)
• ・Higashi-Gyoda Station (東行田駅)(Chichibu Railway) (about 4 km)

Since it’s at least 4 km from any station and requires a minimum walk of over an hour, I recommend taking a bus or taxi.

In fact, walking for over an hour under the scorching summer sun is not advisable, so taking a bus or taxi is essential.

Buses only run from Gyoda Station; unfortunately, taxis are the only option for transportation from other stations.

Incidentally, I went from Gyoda Station, and the bus to the Ancient Lotus Park only ran once an hour.

Review of Rice Paddy Art of Demon Slayer!

This time, I headed from Gyoda Station on the Takasaki Line to the Ancient Lotus Park where you can see the rice paddy art.

It took just over 30 minutes by train from Omiya Station in Saitama.

From Ikebukuro Station in Tokyo, it takes about an hour.

Ancient Lotus Hall is about 4.5km from Gyoda Station’s East Exit.

Walking would take over an hour, and walking for that long under this scorching sun is pretty tough…

So I decided to take the bus, but there was only one bus per hour heading towards the Ancient Lotus Hall.

There were no convenience stores or anything nearby.

You’d think there’d be at least one, but there were hardly any shops at all, let alone convenience stores, at either exit.

Waiting for Bus at Gyoda Ekimae Information Centre

The only saving grace was that there was a tourist information center right in front of the station.

Incidentally, there were also rental bikes in front of the tourist information center.

I thought about going by bike might also be a good option, but even on a bike it would probably take over 15 minutes to get there. I would ride if it were not summer now. I passed after all.

When I asked the staff at the tourist information center, she confirmed there really are no convenience stores or shops anywhere nearby.

However, she said there’s a rest room right next door where I could wait.

So, off to the rest area.
The air conditioning is working and it is quite cool — it is practically heaven.

But still, there’s no one at the station or in this rest room either.

I thought the rice paddy art would draw crowds, but surprisingly, there’s absolutely no one here.

Maybe everyone already went to see it around July, or even earlier in the morning.

Anyway, while cooling off inside, the staff from earlier told me the bus had arrived.

Thank you so much for taking the trouble to check on me — she is very kind.

So, I boarded the bus.

To Ancient Lotus Park

After about a 20-minute bus ride, I arrived at the Ancient Lotus Park.

There were fair number of people in Ancient Lotus Park.

That said, it was not like busy or crowded with people.

There was also a souvenir shop.

Tabi socks and manju sweets of Demon Slayer were also sold at the shop.

And even Demon Slayer-themed Jumangoku Manju.
This Jumangoku Manju is a specialty of Gyoda City and it collaborated with Demon Slayer.

A box which contains five manju costs about $7 (1,000 yen).

When I tried to buy one, I noticed that only the sample box remained, and it was already sold out.

It was almost 2:00 PM, and the closing music began to play.
They close this early? Maybe not many customers come after 2:00 PM.

There was also an Ancient Lotus Udon shop.
I was curious, but it also closed at 2:00 PM.

Shop selling zery fry, too!

Jelly fry is a local dish of Gyoda like Jumangoku Manju.
I thought about buying some on my way back, but they were already closed by then.

I entered the Ancient Lotus Hall.
Admission was about $2.8 (¥400) per adult.

Upon entering, Demon Slayer was right in front!

They were also selling some small items like figures of Demon Slayer.

Looks like Demon Slayer-themed Jumangoku Manju were sold here, too but were already sold out.

When I went to the elevator for the observation deck, there was a short line, but I only waited about five minutes.

I’d heard about two-hour waits with numbered tickets, so I was prepared for a long wait, but I got to the observation deck almost without waiting.

It might have been crowded from July to mid-August, which seems to be the peak viewing season.

Rice Paddy Art of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle

When I went to the observation deck, I saw it—Rice Paddy Art of Demon Slayer.

It’s the rice paddy art for the movie currently in theaters, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle.

It’s really impressive to see it right in front!

This rice paddy art was planted by approximately 1,100 people on June 14th and June 15th.

But I was amazed at how they managed to create such a precise design and color scheme.

I learned they used four different types of rice plants.

The green background color uses “Sai no Kagayaki”.

This is a rice variety developed by Saitama Prefecture.

The white used for Tanjiro’s face and hands is “Yuki Asobi”, the red for the birthmark on his face is “Beni Asobi”, and the black for his hair is “Murasaki 905”.

I didn’t know any of the varieties besides Sai no Kagayaki, but it turns out various types of rice were used.

The observation deck offered a full 360-degree view, allowing us to enjoy not only the rice paddy art but also the surrounding scenery, including distant views of Mount Akagi and Mount Asama.

Best Period to Enjoy Rice Paddy Art

You can enjoy Rice Paddy Art in Gyoda Cityfrrom mid-July to mid-October.

The best time to see the lush green art is from mid-July to mid-August.

After that, the background part of rice paddy is scheduled to be harvested in mid-October, followed by the entire field in mid-November.

I visited in late August, slightly past the peak viewing period, but I could still enjoy the vividly clear image of Tanjiro from Demon Slayer.

You can enjoy the paddy art until mid-October when the rice is harvested although the peak viewing period has passed.

Summary

I visited the rice paddy art in late August, and it wasn’t crowded at that time.

It might be a bit busier in the morning, but in the afternoon, even with a line, you can get to the observation deck in about a 5-minute wait in line.

Having to wait in line for two hours with numbered tickets probably happens during the peak viewing period from mid-July to mid-August.

Seeing the Rice Paddy Art of Demon Slayer up close was truly spectacular!

I wondered how such an intricate design could be completed, but I learned that four different rice varieties are used for the color scheme.

Harvesting starts around mid-October, so if you haven’t seen it yet and are here in Tokyo or Saitama, definitely go!

Not just the rice paddy art, but the lotus exhibition room on the first floor was also interesting and worth checking out!

Tags: Access, Demon Slayer, Gyoda, Review, Rice Paddy Art Author : Hiroshi80