Mona Lisa and Audrey Hepburn among vast works of art created in Japanese paddy fields

Audrey Hepburn, Gregory Peck and iconic cartoon character Atom Boy have appeared in paddy fields in northern Japan.

The stars of Roman Holiday and the much-loved robot hero created by manga author Osamu Tezuka were selected last summer by the residents of Inakadate, in Aomori Prefecture, as the subjects of this year’s “tambo art” project. 

And with the rice crop now emerging, Ms Hepburn and Mr Peck can be seen riding a Vespa scooter in front of Rome’s Colosseum and in an embrace at the Mouth of Truth, two of the highlights of the 1953 film. 

In a neighbouring paddy field, Astro Boy strikes a familiar pose and is supported by Leo the Lion and Black Jack, while a huge portrait made of different coloured stones depicts Princess Diana. 

The village of Inakadate - which only has 8,000 residents - first came up with the idea of creating vast mosaics out of different varieties of rice in 1993. Initially, the plan was to attract some more tourists to a community that has little in the way of traditional attractions.

Very quickly, however, word of the community’s creativity spread and the event now attracts thousands of visitors each year. Demand is so great that there are frequently queues of more than an hour to get to the viewing platform on the fourth-floor roof of the village hall, which offers a panoramic view of the fields. 

To cope with the crowds, the community has built a second observation platform. 

In summers gone by, the rice paddies have depicted the characters from Star Wars, Godzilla and Gone With the Wind, along with Napoleon Bonaparte, Marilyn Monroe, the Mona Lisa and famous names from Japanese history and mythology. 

The colours of the rice plants are at present primarily green and the designers say the rice paddy artworks will be in their prime until mid-August. Harvesting of the paddies has been set for October 8.