Wara is the stem part of harvested rice. In the present day, it is often cut by combine harvesters and plowed into fields during the rice harvest, but it is also used in part as a shimenawa ( ceremonial straw rope) and as a material to cover fields. In the past, the straw was used in various ways in daily life, such as for rice bales, zori (sandals), mats, and cattle feed. As a material for rope or shimenawa, glutinous rice straw is most suitable, which is resilient and does not break easily.

The structure is divided into three parts: migo (the part at the end where the rice used to be attached), kan ( the stem), and hakama ( the leaves). New rice straw is bluish-green in color and turns a dull yellow with age.