Japanese rice field transformed into giant artwork

A rice field in northern Japan has got tourists flocking to it after being transformed into a giant artwork.

The scene is about the legend of Mount Fuji and has been created by artists using coloured rice plants.

The display has been made to commemorate the Mount Fuji's registration as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site.

From CBBC Newsround

Tanbo Art is made by using various types and colors of rice to create giant pictures in the rice fields. It started back in 1993 as a way to revitalize the rice village of Inakadate, in the area of Aomori. For the first nine years, the farmers created a simple picture of Mount Iwaki but the art has now evolved into more complex designs featuring popular characters that appeal to both kids and adults.

Every April, the villagers meet and decide what to plant for the year. They first sketch out the designs on computers and then sow seeds of the varying rice plants. This year, the huge images have crossed the island’s limits and feature a host of awesome designs, including the famous “Ushiwaka and his subordinate Benkei” and Mazinger Z.

From: http://inhabitat.com/giant-rice-paddy-art-flourish-in-japan/tanbo-art-giant-illustrations-rice-fields-japan-7/

Marvel’s new Captain America will be African-American

Marvel has announced that a new Captain America will be African-American.

The cover of the New Captain America comic book

In an online article the character Sam Wilson, also known as The Falcon, was named as the replacement for Steve Rogers.

The move follows an unexpected event, which left Rogers unable to carry on.

The post reads, "Robbed of his superior strength and vitality, Steve Rogers must surrender his blues for a sturdy cane."

Chris Evans will play Captain America in Avengers: Age of Ultron

The change of character is only set to affect the Captain America comic book series.

Chris Evans, who has played him in The Avengers film, will also play the role in Avengers: Age of Ultron which is set for release in 2015.

Captain America first appeared in Marvel Comics in 1941.

There's a new female Thor, the God of Thunder

The news about Captain America comes a day after Marvel announced that Thor, the God of Thunder, would now be portrayed as a woman in that comic book series.

Marvel comic editor Tom Brevoort says "We're not anywhere near finished."

"Change is one of the watchwords of the Marvel Universe, so there are even more startling surprises to come."

From CBBC newsround

Giant salamander spotted on walk to school

A rare giant salamander has been spotted by a boy on his way to school in 
Japan.

Yu, a high school student in Kyoto, saw the creature slithering along the path by a river bank.

He filmed the salamander and asked police to guard it until it went back into the river.

Yu said: "I was just walking without really paying any attention to it but once I got close to it, it started to move"

"That's when I realized it was this giant salamander".

Japanese giant salamanders are amphibious, meaning they live on land and in water, and can grow up to 150 cm.

From CBBC newsround

Loom band dress bid reach £170,000 in online auction

A dress made entirely from loom bands being auctioned online is attracting bids of over £170,000!

There have been over one hundred bids so far for the clothing on eBay described as a "multi coloured dress made from loom bands".

The loom bands craze has travelled the world since its invention in 2011.

The Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, brought the bands to grown-ups' attention by wearing a loom bracelet on her trip to New Zealand.

David Beckham and Harry Styles have also picked up on the trend.

Single mum Helen who is studying degree in forensics in Wrexham said she had the idea after helping her 12-year-old daughter Sian who is "mad" about making loom band designs.

"My friend Katherine physically made it because she's out of work and gets bored.

I said why don't we make a dress from loom bands and Katherine said she'd be happy do do it because she's too ill to work. She did an hour here or there in between her house work to keep her busy.It took her about 45 hours to make but that was over weeks and weeks.

She made it by running one long strip of loom bands then got one of Sian's dresses and laid them both on the floor and got the pattern from there."

– HELEN WRIGHT

Helen said the dress cost £47 spent on 47 packets of loom bands.

"When it was done we thought we'd stick it on eBay as a bonus for £50 and thought if it went over the £50 we might have a day out," she said.

"Last night we checked Ebay and thought it was a joke when we saw it had gone over £100,000."

It took 47 packets of loom bands to make the dress says mum Helen. Credit: Geoff Abbott

The bids rocketed after buyers waged war on each other in a tit-for-tat contest for the dress modelled by Helen's daughter Sian.

Helen says her daughter is a size 12 and it took two of them to get it on her and it was very heavy.

The rainbow loom was invented by Cheong Choon in 2011 and has seen millions of children making bracelets and necklaces.

The loom band craze continues to grow. Credit: PA

http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/28275986

http://www.itv.com/news/wales/2014-07-11/looney-price-for-loom-dress-mum-tells-of-shock/