high soil water holding capacity, are suitable for vegetable
cultivation. Furthermore, there are no water shortages, even
during drought (which occur once every few years) due to
the maintenance of irrigation facilities. This enables stable,
high-quality agricultural production. The area has become
the largest national production area of watermelon, which is
vulnerable to moisture stress, due to the progress of such
technological developments.
(2) Sandy Regosols
The soil fertility of Sandy Regosols is extremely low due to
their remarkably low clay content and low organic matter
accumulation. Although the soil’s permeability and drainage
are high, its water and nutrient retention properties are low.
Since Sandy Regosols are susceptible to drought and
nutrient deficiency, they were deemed to be poor soils for
farming until the 1940s. However, sand dune agriculture
was developed by removing the many difficulties in the
1950s, and nutrient and water management technology was
developed by introducing sequential irrigation facilities.
This has allowed the development of vegetable production
of Sandy Regosols that are easy to be deep-tilled for sufficient root extension, and that possess good drainage with
high gas phase distribution with no moisture damage
(Yamamoto et al. 2007). For this reason, the sand dune area
in the eastern part of Tottori Prefecture has become a main
producing area of fresh white shallot in Japan, despite its
low soil fertility and lack of moisture and nutrients. The
cultivation of shallot has been established on the sand dunes
because this crop requires only rain water irrigation for
harvesting and is relatively resistant to wind-blown sand.
Large-scale farming management is conducted in a sand
dune field in the eastern part of Tottori Prefecture. Organic
cultivation and chemical fertilizer-saving cultivation have
also been attempted in sand dune fields in recent years.
Unlike sand dunes in the eastern and central parts of Tottori
Prefecture, the sand of the Kyuhin sand dunes in the
western part of Tottori Prefecture is fine and rich in organic
matter compared with the other sand dune areas. Moreover,
the groundwater level is high due to a special groundwater
structure, which results in a layer of freshwater above the
saltwater. Due to these special soil conditions, white onions
can be cultivated without special irrigation facilities such as
sprinklers.
(3) Marshy paddy field in polder areas
At polder areas of Nakaumi (a brackish lake) in Shimane
Prefecture and Kojima Bay in Okayama Prefecture, drainage
measures have been promoted, not only to reduce high
groundwater level but also to avoid the influence of
seawater. In the Nakaumi polder with acid sulfate soil,
production areas have been established for open-field vegetables (e.g., cabbage) by improving of the physical properties of the surface layer by promoting drainage and
improving the chemical properties with lime and phosphate
fertilizer (Masunaga 2007).
9.2.5 Grassland
Pasture is very sparsely distributed in the Kinki, Chugoku,
and Shikoku regions; the pasture in these regions only
accounts for around 0.7% of all pasture in Japan (Ministry of
Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries 2017g).
The area of meadows and pastures ranged from 430 to
955 km
2 , and the area of seminatural grasslands, which are
naturally established and artificially maintained (e.g.,
through harvesting and burning), is approximately 905 km
2
based on the grassland classification by Matsuura et al.
(2012). These areas represent 5–13 and 15% of the total area
of meadows and pastures (7220–8480 km
2 ) and seminatural
grasslands (6190 km
2 ) in Japan, respectively (Matsuura
et al. 2012). During the 15 years from 2002 to 2017, the area
of meadows in the Kinki, Chugoku, and Shikoku regions
decreased by 24.7%, 14.3%, and 24.7%–1.60, 5.37, and
1.69 km
2 , respectively (Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry
and Fisheries 2017h). These decreases are considerably
higher than the national average decrease of the area of all
meadows and agricultural land (upland field, orchard, and
pasture) over the same period (6.06%); therefore, it is
assumed that the area of other grassland, such as pasture and
seminatural grassland, also decreased in these three regions.
Brown Forest soils (total area of 564 km
2 ), Red-Yellow
soils (514 km
2 ), and Andosols (381 km
2 ) are major soil
types in the grassland of the Kinki, Chugoku, and Shikoku
regions (Fig. 9.8). However, the contribution of these soil
types is different among the three regions (Fig. 9.9). For
example, in the Kinki region, soils in grassland are mostly
Red-Yellow soils (46%) and Brown Forest soils (35.3%); in
the Chugoku region, Andosols and Brown Forest soils cover
29.2% and 25.4% of the grassland, respectively, while in the
Shikoku region, Brown Forest soils (38.1%) are the most
widespread soil in grasslands.
1. Kinki region
The combined area of meadows, pastures, and seminatural
grasslands in the Kinki region is 634 km
2 , which accounts
for 34% of the total grassland area in the Kinki, Chugoku,
and Shikoku regions. Brown Forest soils following to
Red-Yellow soils are widespread in meadows and pastures,
and Brown Forest soils cover 63.4% of the seminatural
9 Kinki, Chugoku, and Shikoku Regions
313
cultivation. Furthermore, there are no water shortages, even
during drought (which occur once every few years) due to
the maintenance of irrigation facilities. This enables stable,
high-quality agricultural production. The area has become
the largest national production area of watermelon, which is
vulnerable to moisture stress, due to the progress of such
technological developments.
(2) Sandy Regosols
The soil fertility of Sandy Regosols is extremely low due to
their remarkably low clay content and low organic matter
accumulation. Although the soil’s permeability and drainage
are high, its water and nutrient retention properties are low.
Since Sandy Regosols are susceptible to drought and
nutrient deficiency, they were deemed to be poor soils for
farming until the 1940s. However, sand dune agriculture
was developed by removing the many difficulties in the
1950s, and nutrient and water management technology was
developed by introducing sequential irrigation facilities.
This has allowed the development of vegetable production
of Sandy Regosols that are easy to be deep-tilled for sufficient root extension, and that possess good drainage with
high gas phase distribution with no moisture damage
(Yamamoto et al. 2007). For this reason, the sand dune area
in the eastern part of Tottori Prefecture has become a main
producing area of fresh white shallot in Japan, despite its
low soil fertility and lack of moisture and nutrients. The
cultivation of shallot has been established on the sand dunes
because this crop requires only rain water irrigation for
harvesting and is relatively resistant to wind-blown sand.
Large-scale farming management is conducted in a sand
dune field in the eastern part of Tottori Prefecture. Organic
cultivation and chemical fertilizer-saving cultivation have
also been attempted in sand dune fields in recent years.
Unlike sand dunes in the eastern and central parts of Tottori
Prefecture, the sand of the Kyuhin sand dunes in the
western part of Tottori Prefecture is fine and rich in organic
matter compared with the other sand dune areas. Moreover,
the groundwater level is high due to a special groundwater
structure, which results in a layer of freshwater above the
saltwater. Due to these special soil conditions, white onions
can be cultivated without special irrigation facilities such as
sprinklers.
(3) Marshy paddy field in polder areas
At polder areas of Nakaumi (a brackish lake) in Shimane
Prefecture and Kojima Bay in Okayama Prefecture, drainage
measures have been promoted, not only to reduce high
groundwater level but also to avoid the influence of
seawater. In the Nakaumi polder with acid sulfate soil,
production areas have been established for open-field vegetables (e.g., cabbage) by improving of the physical properties of the surface layer by promoting drainage and
improving the chemical properties with lime and phosphate
fertilizer (Masunaga 2007).
9.2.5 Grassland
Pasture is very sparsely distributed in the Kinki, Chugoku,
and Shikoku regions; the pasture in these regions only
accounts for around 0.7% of all pasture in Japan (Ministry of
Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries 2017g).
The area of meadows and pastures ranged from 430 to
955 km
2 , and the area of seminatural grasslands, which are
naturally established and artificially maintained (e.g.,
through harvesting and burning), is approximately 905 km
2
based on the grassland classification by Matsuura et al.
(2012). These areas represent 5–13 and 15% of the total area
of meadows and pastures (7220–8480 km
2 ) and seminatural
grasslands (6190 km
2 ) in Japan, respectively (Matsuura
et al. 2012). During the 15 years from 2002 to 2017, the area
of meadows in the Kinki, Chugoku, and Shikoku regions
decreased by 24.7%, 14.3%, and 24.7%–1.60, 5.37, and
1.69 km
2 , respectively (Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry
and Fisheries 2017h). These decreases are considerably
higher than the national average decrease of the area of all
meadows and agricultural land (upland field, orchard, and
pasture) over the same period (6.06%); therefore, it is
assumed that the area of other grassland, such as pasture and
seminatural grassland, also decreased in these three regions.
Brown Forest soils (total area of 564 km
2 ), Red-Yellow
soils (514 km
2 ), and Andosols (381 km
2 ) are major soil
types in the grassland of the Kinki, Chugoku, and Shikoku
regions (Fig. 9.8). However, the contribution of these soil
types is different among the three regions (Fig. 9.9). For
example, in the Kinki region, soils in grassland are mostly
Red-Yellow soils (46%) and Brown Forest soils (35.3%); in
the Chugoku region, Andosols and Brown Forest soils cover
29.2% and 25.4% of the grassland, respectively, while in the
Shikoku region, Brown Forest soils (38.1%) are the most
widespread soil in grasslands.
1. Kinki region
The combined area of meadows, pastures, and seminatural
grasslands in the Kinki region is 634 km
2 , which accounts
for 34% of the total grassland area in the Kinki, Chugoku,
and Shikoku regions. Brown Forest soils following to
Red-Yellow soils are widespread in meadows and pastures,
and Brown Forest soils cover 63.4% of the seminatural
9 Kinki, Chugoku, and Shikoku Regions
313