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Humongous Dragon Quest Slimes appear at park in Japan【Photos】

Casey Baseel Nov 29, 2016
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Slimes draw near following conclusion of rice field art project.

Over the last few years, certain rural communities in Japan have been turning their rice paddies into massive art displays. Creating rice field art is a lengthy process, involving careful planning, precision planting of seeds, and plenty of patience until the plants sprout and finally complete the image for visitors to ooh and aah over.

While Aomori Prefecture’s Inakadate was the first town to attract widespread attention for its rice field art, Gyoda, in Saitama Prefecture, got a special feather in its rice-farming cap last year, when its 2015 project was the recipient of a Guinness World Record recognizing it as the “world’s largest rice field art.” For 2016, Gyoda’s rice artists decided to salute long-running video game series Dragon Quest, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary.

But since the scene of a heroic swordsman battling a fierce dragon was made of living plants, it couldn’t last forever. With winter just around the corner, the rice has since been cut. That doesn’t mean the plants’ artistic contributions are finished, though, as some of the leftover straw trimmings have been assembled into a massive King Slime.

わらアートは夜間にライトアップされ昼間とは違った雰囲気を楽しめます。また古代蓮の里ではイルミネーションも開催中。あわせてお楽しみ下さい（寒さ対策は十分に）
＞2016年第3回行田わらアートまつり#わらアートまつり #行田 #古代蓮の里 #わらアート #ドラクエ #スライム pic.twitter.com/FG2j9sQFvb

— ときいも©️ (@tokiimochan) November 27, 2016

以前ドラクエの田んぼアートをやっていた所で刈った後の藁を使ってこんなのができてました！ pic.twitter.com/JDO8iSfc7a

— ミヤビ@雑談cafe夢見る宇宙 (@mana1119_ume) November 27, 2016

https://twitter.com/akiko_1124/status/802454977645948928

As the largest and most regal member of the loveable Dragon Quest Slime monster family, the King Slime is a mix of charming goofiness and massive size, towering over even the full-grown adults.

▼ The King Slime is illuminated after sundown, appropriately in blue light evocative of his in-game hue.

https://twitter.com/rarenewsjp/status/802867796644429824

ドラクエ「スライム」、わらアートにあらわれた！　埼玉 https://t.co/XwPZrQiZq5

— 朝日新聞(asahi shimbun） (@asahi) November 27, 2016

There was also enough straw to make a couple of non-regal Slimes, which still look to be taller than the average human adventurer.

キングスライムの周りには可愛らしい大きさのスライムが3匹。
並んで記念撮影するのに最適なサイズ感です (´ω｀)♪
＞2016年第3回行田わらアートまつり#わらアートまつり #行田 #古代蓮の里 #わらアート #ドラクエ #スライム pic.twitter.com/09xN4ib4wT

— ときいも©️ (@tokiimochan) November 27, 2016

▼ Slime vs. samurai

行田市古代蓮の里に
スライムがあらわれた！あお#わらアート pic.twitter.com/JCyb1HpzkG

— 忍城おもてなし甲冑隊公式 (@oshi_omotenashi) November 27, 2016

The straw Slimes are currently on display at the Kodaihasu no Sato park in Gyoda. Being made of organic matter means that there’s a limit to even this second lease on life for the rice field art, but the Dragon Quest creatures will be on display until March 26 of next year.

Park information
Kodaihasu no Sato / 古代蓮の里
Address: Saitama-ken, Gyoda-shi, Kobari 2375-1
埼玉県行田市小針２３７５−１
Admission free
Website

Source: Asashi Shimbun Digital

Follow Casey on Twitter, where decades later he’s still kicking himself for buying the bamboo pole instead of the club at the start of the original Dragon Quest.