The male fish will then swim over the eggs and release sperm ... fish–are only about 1.4 inches long and can be found in rice paddies, ponds, marshes, quiet streams, and tide pools in Japan.

Beneficial microbes in the soil of rice paddies could be key allies in a collaborative project to build a circular agricultural economy in the celebrated rice-growing region of Niigata ...

It offers favourable growing conditions, mild weather, plentiful sunny days, and snowmelt that gathers nutrients as it moves from the mountain, through the forest and finally to the rice paddies.