Niigata prefecture's Wara Art Festival has a very creative and imposing way of making use of the leftover rice straw (wara) from the harvests that take advantage of the prefecture's abundant rice production (vital in sake, which the prefecture is famous for). The Wara Art Festival is a collaborative effort between Niigata City's local tourism board and students from Musashino Art University. Running from 2008, the festival boasts the creative talents of the students, as well as showcases just how much leftover rice straw there is via impressively crafted giant straw animals.

This year's tenth anniversary of the festival filled Uwasekigata Park with a herd of towering bound rice straw animal structures. The festival runs from September-October, and while the official celebrations have already ended, the structures remain on display until October 31st, giving one fitting final scare on Halloween.