Japan's Rice Terraces from the Sky
Japan's Rice Terraces from the Sky
Overview
In this unique episode, John Daub takes viewers to the base of Mount Daisen in Tottori Prefecture for a special aerial perspective. Filmed in early June, the video showcases the freshly planted rice terraces that stretch across the landscape below Japan's highest mountain in the Chugoku region. John operates a drone to capture sweeping shots of the green paddies, contrasting them against the hulking presence of Mount Daisen in the distance.
The session is not without challenges; strong wind gusts trigger multiple warnings on the drone controller, adding a layer of tension to the beautiful visuals. John narrates the flight process in real-time, explaining his adjustments for wind velocity and elevation while maintaining visual contact with the aircraft. The footage is being recorded for both his channel and NHK, highlighting the professional quality of the scenery.
This video serves as a serene visual journey rather than a traditional vlog, focusing on the harmony between agriculture and nature. It offers a rare look at the rice planting cycle—from the finished planting in June to the anticipated harvest in October—set against one of Japan's most iconic mountain backdrops.
Highlights
- 00:00:01 John initiates the drone takeoff sequence.
- 00:01:37 First successful ascent towards Mount Daisen despite wind warnings.
- 00:02:28 John mentions recording for NHK alongside his own video.
- 00:03:37 Explanation of the rice planting cycle (planted now, harvested in October).
- 00:04:13 John affectionately refers to the drone as "drone-chan".
- 00:05:13 Drone reaches maximum allowed altitude of 120 meters.
- 00:06:24 Panning shots executed while battling high wind velocity warnings.
- 00:10:32 John spots the NHK crew filming on the ground with a Canon C100.
- 00:11:27 Final landing and sign-off from the rice terraces.
Timeline / Chapters
- 00:00:00 Takeoff: Drone system check and initial lift-off.
- 00:00:24 First Flight Attempt: Navigating wind gusts and centering the shot on Mount Daisen.
- 00:02:28 NHK Recording: Context on the professional filming crew present.
- 00:03:37 Location Context: Overview of Mount Daisen and the rice planting season.
- 00:04:13 Second Flight: Lower altitude pass over the paddies.
- 00:05:13 High Altitude Shot: Ascending to 120 meters for wide landscape views.
- 00:07:39 Overhead Shot: Drone positioned directly above John.
- 00:09:05 Panning Sequence: Camera movements from terraces up to the mountain.
- 00:10:32 Landing & Crew: Bringing the drone down and acknowledging the ground crew.
- 00:11:27 Conclusion: Final thoughts on the flight and weather conditions.
Japan Travel Tips
- Best Time to Visit: Early June offers vibrant green rice paddies shortly after planting. October is ideal for seeing the golden harvest color.
- Weather Considerations: The area can be windy, especially in open agricultural zones. If flying drones, check wind velocity warnings carefully.
- Photography: The contrast between the geometric rice terraces and Mount Daisen makes for iconic landscape photography.
- Access: The rice terraces are located in the Yodoe area of Daisen, Tottori. Access typically requires a car or local bus service to the foothills.
- Drone Regulations: Always maintain visual contact (VLOS) and respect altitude limits (120 meters in Japan without special permission).
Japanese Language & Culture Notes
- Daisen (大山): The name of the mountain, which dominates the Chugoku region skyline. It is a sacred mountain with historical significance.
- Drone-chan (ドローンちゃん): John adds the affectionate suffix "-chan" to the word drone, personifying the machine slightly during the flight.
- Rice Cycle: John notes the planting is finished in June, with harvest coming in October. This aligns with the standard kome (rice) growing season in this region.
- NHK: Japan's national public broadcasting organization. Their presence indicates the high scenic value of this location.
People
- John Daub: Host and drone pilot. He narrates the flight, manages the drone controls, and provides context about the location and weather.
- NHK Crew: Unseen but mentioned by John. They are filming on the ground using a Canon C100 camera, likely for a broadcast segment about the region.
Key Takeaways
- Mount Daisen provides a dramatic backdrop for the rice terraces in Tottori Prefecture.
- Drone flying in open agricultural areas requires vigilance regarding wind conditions.
- The rice planting season (early summer) offers a distinct visual aesthetic compared to the harvest season (autumn).
- Professional media crews often visit this location due to its photogenic quality.
Notable Quotes
- 00:03:37 "Mount Daisen is the biggest mountain in the entire area. It just hulks over this entire place."
- 00:03:37 "This rice planting is finished and it'll be harvested in October."
- 00:04:13 "Okay, we'll send it to the mountain and drone-chan."
- 00:06:24 "Wow, this is just a stunning, stunning view."
- 00:11:27 "Thanks for joining me on this flight across the rice terraces of the base of Mount Daisen on a really beautiful sunny day."
Related Topics
- Drone Photography in Japan
- Tottori Prefecture Travel
- Japanese Agriculture and Rice Cultivation
- Mount Daisen Hiking and Sightseeing
Search Tags
#only-in-japan-go #tottori #mount-daisen #rice-terraces #drone #landscape #agriculture #yodoe #early-summer #japan-travel
Full Transcript
00:00:01 John Daub: Take off. The home point has been updated. Please check it on the map.
00:00:24 John Daub: All right, so now we're gonna take a look at the rice terraces of Daisen in this live drone stream. I'm gonna be using this to insert into the video so you can see it's a beautiful sunny day here at Mount Daisen. And I'm gonna go right over the rice terraces and then do a shot straight at Mount Daisen. Here we go. Let me just get it centered a little bit. All right. Auto-focus and the exposure looks good. Here we go. Daisen rolling. It is pretty windy, so I'm a little bit worried about... Okay, I just got a warning here. Maybe it's from the wind. It's so windy. All right, let's try it again. I'm gonna move back. Okay, here we go.
00:01:37 John Daub: Try it again. I'm now going up towards Mount Daisen. I'm gonna have to move the drone up. There we go. Because as the drone is going forward the rice terraces are also moving upwards. So the drone is getting closer and closer to the ground. And now we have a beautiful shot of Mount Daisen with the rice terraces. Okay, I'm gonna call the drone back. 300 meters away at 40 meters up. 3, 2, 1. Alright, drone's coming back. Alright.
00:02:28 John Daub: Now I'm gonna cut the video because I'm also recording this for NHK and I'm gonna bring the drone back now. And it might get a little bit pixelated. I apologize for that, but the screen should adjust in a little bit of time and now I'm pulling the drone back. We're at 40 meters high and the distance is now 250 meters away from me, but on such a beautiful clear day it's giving me warnings of too much wind velocity right now. Okay, I have visual contact of the drone now. Visual. I see the drone. We're 150 meters out, the drone's pulling back in. I am a little bit worried about the wind velocity because it's giving me some warnings right now. I'm gonna pull the drone down a little bit and again Mount Daisen is 1700 meters up into the sky. It's the biggest thing.
00:03:37 John Daub: Alright the drone's back to the home point. I'm gonna bring it over towards me so you could see me down here. Yeah, there I am. So Mount Daisen is the biggest mountain in the entire area. It just hulks over this entire place and we're at a really wonderful spot where they've just done the rice planting. That's what you see all around me and this rice planting is finished and it'll be harvested in October. But today because of the day so clear we get a chance to look over the rice paddies and fly the drone.
00:04:13 John Daub: So this time I'm gonna get lower to the rice paddies and move the camera up towards here. Let's move the camera this way. Let's try going over to these rice paddies. Okay, we'll send it to the mountain and drone-chan. We're gonna take you up one more time on a beautiful day. I'm gonna move the drone up while going forward at full velocity. Until I reach about... oh wow the wind is getting quite strong. But Daisen's right in the center of the screen. This is absolutely beautiful.
00:05:13 John Daub: So I need about 20 seconds, I think so we're at a distance of 35 meters up and it's now 275 meters away from me. I still got visual contact of the drone. Now the drone is because of the elevation that keeps going up, the obstacle avoidance is on. So I gotta pull the drone up to about 50 meters. So I'm just gonna move the drone up from here, record going up to 100 meters. So now we're at 78, 90 meters, 100 meters, 120 meters. That's the maximum distance that I allow. All right, I'm gonna keep it here for about five seconds. I have visual contact with the drone. All right, I'm gonna keep it here for another five seconds and then I'm gonna do some panning shots from up here as I move the drone back towards us.
00:06:24 John Daub: The great thing about the drone is that I can, with these controls, do panning shots like this and still stay on target. So now the drone is 150 meters away from me. I'm gonna move the drone up to about 50 meters. And it's coming in at a height of 120 meters up. Again, Mount Daisen is 1,700 meters up. So, oh wow, I get another high velocity warning, high wind velocity warning. Now it is gusting here, so sometimes the wind's really, really fast and then sometimes it's not, which is okay maybe. But as long as I don't lose contact with the drone visually, we're okay. Wow, this is just a stunning, stunning view. So I'm gonna let this go past me a little bit and then I'm gonna bring the drone back. Okay, here we go. We're 80, 100 meters past me and now I'm gonna stop and then bring the drone back in.
00:07:39 John Daub: Okay, one time cut the video that I'm recording, push record again, and now I am going forward with this for about 200 meters. Now the drone is right over me, but you can't see me down there. The drone is right over me. Beautiful shot with Mount Daisen right in the middle. So I want to get about 30 seconds of this. I have visual contact of the drone. He's up there, that little guy. Alright, visual contact. It's getting really small, so I'm going to stop here. And I'm going to pull the drone back now. I don't want to lose the drone. Alright, there's too much wind velocity. I'm going to trust the meters now and bring the drone back down. I'm bringing the drone down to, it's now at 80 meters. The drone is coming down to 75 meters. 70 meters. I have visual contact again. I lost contact for a second. Now it's back in the path again.
00:09:05 John Daub: Alright, we're going over it. Peeking out at 35 meters and going backwards. Now the drone's right over me. Okay, the drone's right over me. And I'm going to let it sit here for a while. Just for recording. For recording's sakes. In case we want to put any narration over this. After about 5 seconds, I'm going to pan down towards the rice terraces. And then start panning up towards the mountain. Okay. You can probably see me there. I don't want to be in the shot. The video might pixelate. This is going over the 4G. But now I'm panning up. I'm going to do that again. Here we go. 2, 1. Alright, now it's coming back.
00:10:32 John Daub: I'm going to bring the drone back in for some rest. And then I'm going to go back. I can do some final comments before I cut off the feed. What a beautiful day. And again, like, the drone is almost right over me. And I'm going to bring her down now. There you go. There's me right there. You can see that the crew also filming. They had a Canon C100. So they're also filming for the trip. And I am right down there. Oh, there I am. Hey. Hello, everybody.
00:11:27 John Daub: So we've been streaming this live. I've been recording it as well with the SD card inside the drone. I can see it tilting. Because every time a gust of wind comes it stays really, really still. The wind is blowing it one way or the other. Maybe you can see with the grass around me how it's windy in this area. But what a really wonderful flight. So thanks. Thanks for joining me on this flight across the rice terraces of the base of Mount Daisen on a really beautiful sunny day. So I hope you enjoyed that. And see you again on the road.