Visitors to the recent Wara Art Festival in Niigata, Japan, were left in awe by the giant sculptures of dinosaurs — up to 16 feet tall — only made out of straw, according to the festival’s official website.
The festival started eight years ago as a way to celebrate the end of the rice harvest by turning the harvest’s rice straw byproducts into amazing works of art. Local artists built elaborate straw sculptures over wooden frames. The frames allowed the statues to be larger and let spectators interact with them. While bringing these giant beasts, not all of which are dinosaurs, to life is not easy!
Niigata Prefecture holds its Wara Art Festival every August 31st
“Wara†means rice-straw in Japanese
Rice-straw is a by-product of the yearly rice harvest
Each creature starts out with a frame
The straw is attached to wooden frames to provide stability and allow for greater size
Various techniques are used to create the behemoths
The results are surprising
Giant Crab
King Cobra
Giant Praying Mantis
Floating Duck
