2015 Volume 124 Issue 6 Pages 1061-1084
This study clarifies changes in agricultural land use at the foot of Mt. Fuji and regional characteristics. Variations at different altitudes at the foot of Mt. Fuji are examined. An agricultural land-use map of the foot of Mt. Fuji was prepared from data of the Census of Agriculture and Forestry. Comparative data from 1970 to 2010 are analyzed. Using this map, trends can be identified in changes of land use across the study period. The foot of Mt. Fuji is divided into four regions: northern foot area, eastern foot area, Suruga Bay area, and western foot area. Orchards at all altitudes in the Suruga Bay area have expanded. This may be attributed to increases in the production of green tea and fruits from 1970 to 2010. On the other hand, in the eastern and western foot areas, agricultural land-use trends varied by altitude. Areas at lower altitudes were used as suburban agricultural fields. The middle altitude areas of the eastern and western foot areas were used as paddy fields due to the automation of agriculture. In the northern foot area, the number of fields used for vegetable production increased due to tourist farm development. Thus, changes in agricultural land use at the foot of Mt. Fuji from 1970 to 2010 indicate that socio-economic changes override land-use patterns based on environmental conditions. In 2010, horizontal regional characteristics of the northern, eastern, southern, and western areas at the foot of Mt. Fuji show larger variations than vertical regional characteristics.
