If you look for more destinations on your road trip through the remote south of the Kii Peninsula, then put Maruyama Senmaida on your must-go places to visit. Located in a difficult to get to area in the south of Mie Prefecture, the best way to travel to this location is indeed by rent-a-car, camper van or by your own car, in case you live in Japan. Your access is from either Kumano Town in Mie Prefecture or from Hongu Town in Wakayama Prefecture. From there you drive along mountain roads with fantastic views to get to Kiwa Town. Kiwa is called a town but it is more like a big village in the middle of no-where. This is the location of the Maruyama Senmaida.
Rice is planted in mid-May and harvested in September. The best time to visit this place is during the time that the rice is growing in the rice paddies. During other times of the year it is fine to come here too, as you would see the terraced fields in any case. However, they look better with the young rice seedlings just planted or the yellow stalks of rice just before the harvest.
While Kiwa has some facilities where you get some food and drinks, there are not many and they are not near the Maruyama Senmaida. Hence, bring a bento box and some drinks with you and then enjoy the view while having a picnic by the fields. Some farmers might be selling fruits and vegetables near the fields.
Terraced rice fields are a scenery that we now associate with places like Bali or Thailand but in Japan in the old days there were terraced rice fields too. Many have fallen into disuse and disrepair, and the few left are becoming quite famous now. For example, the Sakamoto Rice Terraces in Miyazaki Prefecture or Shiroyone Senmaida on the Noto Peninsula.
If you look for the old Japan, then a visit to the Maruyama Senmaida is highly recommended.
