Japan knows how to bale hay
It's hay-making season in Japan, but they just don't pile the stuff into bales in a field.
No, instead, there's a tradition of making enormous straw sculptures like this one. It's thatched, just like old cottage roofs - but the wooden structures underneath are made in the shapes of beasts, not bedrooms.
Kotaku, the gaming and Japanese culture blog, brought this to the West's attention with their fantastic gallery culled from Japanese-language blogs, and it's definitely worth a look for more amazing creations.
Obviously, dried-out straw is less nutritious than proper hay, and we doubt this could be used for fodder - but wouldn't you love to see some of these dotted around the Irish countryside at harvest time?
