Regional geography plays an important role in providing a frame of reference for examining and explaining the nature and characteristics of various regions on different regional scales. Since the 1960s, the study of regional geography has been declining as fractionalization, specialization and diversification became apparent in the discipline of geography. As a result, it is time to reevaluate and reconstruct the disappearing subfield of regional geography. A new way of studying United States regional geography is proposed in this paper by applying four approaches of cultural geography: 1) nature and human; 2) origin and dispersal; 3) region and landscape; and 4) time and change. After the arrival of Columbus in the late fifteenth century, the world of Native Americans was largely altered as three economic-cultural regions were established as a result of the Atlantic migration. Those were: the northwestern European peasant economic-cultural region formed in the northeast; the plantation economic-cultural region in the southeast; and the Iberian cattle ranching economic-cultural region in the southwest. During the late nineteenth century, the northwestern European peasant economic-cultural region expanded to cover the entire United States. From the beginning of the twentieth century through the end of the 1960s, the American way of living and production was established, contributing to homogeneity and prosperity. After experiencing the social upheaval of the 1960s, a multi-ethnic and divided America emerged in the 1970s. In order to illuminate the regional geography of the twenty-first century, the United States needs to be viewed as the world's museum. In the regional geography of the United States, there exist fascinating research frontiers, which should attract geographers who are in search of exploration and discovery.

Intermediate-station transhumance on three peneplains was traditionally carried out in the Cindrel Mountains, part of the South Carpathians in Romania. Changes in sheep transhumance may affect the ecological system at the top of the mountains. Changes in sheep transhumance after the revolution of 1989 and after joining the EU in 2007 were studied in the village of Jina.

Because statistical data and the results of interviews during the socialist period were not sufficiently accurate, changes in the number of sheep during the socialist period and after the revolutionary period were studied based on changes in vegetation. Individual ownership of sheep was allowed as a special case during the socialist regime in Jina. Shepherds from the village moved all their sheep, cattle, horses, and donkeys to the top peneplain, i.e., the Borascu Peneplain (2000–2200 m a.s.l.) in summer during the socialist regime. However, after the collapse of the socialist system, only young sheep were herded to the top peneplain. Therefore, sheep numbers declined dramatically. Furthermore, since Romania joined the EU, the decrease in sheep numbers has accelerated.

Because of these two political events, Picea abies and Pinus mugo expanded into the grasslands on the top peneplain, which have been maintained throughout recorded history. The north slope of the top peneplain is covered with P. mugo, but it has slowly invaded the grasslands of the top peneplain. Tree branches measurements of P. mugo showed their ages dating to around the revolution. On the south slope of the top peneplain, seven quadrats (10 m×10 m) were established in the P. abies invasion area. The altitude of the upper limit of P. abies is around 1950 m a.s.l., and small P. abies trees have invaded the grasslands up to 1980 m a.s.l. This vegetation record confirms that sheep stress on the vegetation has weakened because of the decrease in numbers since the revolution and EU membership.

This study reconstructed the three-dimensional stratigraphic architecture of incised-valley fills and calculated sediment storage by analyzing 2,701 existing borehole columns and 218 radiocarbon ages using GIS in the Nobi Plain, central Japan. The latest Pleistocene to Holocene depositional sequence under the Nobi Plain were divided into six lithofacies: basal gravel (BG); lower sand (LS); middle mud (MM); upper sand (US); terrestrial sand and mud (TSM); and artificially deformed layer (AD). The valley topography found in the bases of LS and MM and the late Pleistocene terrace distributed in the eastern part of the plain were buried by the accumulation of MM and US under delta progradation. The subaerial delta expanded widely with the deposition of TSM after 1,000calBP.

Total sediment storage in the study area of 1,179.4km² during the last 6,000 years was estimated to be 21,463Tg, and the sediment storage for every 1,000-year interval was 2,359, 2,754, 3,848, 3,194, 3,748, and 5,559Tg, respectively. The sediment storage increased markedly after 1,000calBP, probably due to increased sediment production accompanying human impacts on the catchment area.

This study examined the determinants of spatial variation of host-seeking vector mosquitoes of Japanese encephalitis, Culex tritaeniorhynchus, and malaria vector mosquitoes, the Anopheles sinensis group, to estimate the distribution of mosquito habitats along the eastern coast of Lake Biwa, Japan. Data for the statistical analysis were obtained from a mosquito survey conducted using 20 traps during May to October 2009. For explanatory variables, we constructed a dataset of land cover in the study area by classifying satellite images of ALOS. We employed partial least squares (PLS) regression to analyze the relationship between the number of mosquitoes collected and land cover composition around trap sites. The results indicate that the number of host-seeking Cx. tritaeniorhynchus was larger when the areal components of the rural-agricultural landscape (e.g., paddy fields) were larger around the trap sites. For the An. sinensis group, the number of host-seeking mosquitoes was larger when the areal components of the wetland landscape (e.g., water bodies and reed beds) were larger around the trap sites. The potential habitat maps derived by fitting the PLS regression model into a GIS environment indicated that suitable habitats for Cx. tritaeniorhynchus are mainly distributed across plains and that for the An. sinensis group are concentrated around water bodies. We interpreted these results to mean that the distribution of the estimated potential habitats of host-seeking mosquitoes reflects the behavioral response of mosquitoes to spatially heterogeneous environments.

Thus, the mapping of potential habitats estimated using datasets of vector mosquitoes and land cover may provide fundamental information for planning effective control strategies for vector mosquitoes.

The purpose of this study is to examine locational shifts of specialized stores and discuss the placeness of a shopping district, the Nipponbashi district in Osaka, Japan. This district has developed as an electronic retail district since the Second World War and has recently attracted various shops of subculture, similar to the well-known case of the Akihabara district in Tokyo. Senmontengai (retail districts for specialized goods) are a distinctive feature of large cities in Japan. The Nipponbashi district is a fairly small area with a dense concentration of specialized stores. When the locational changes in retail activities were examined in detail, stores can be classified into three groups: consumer electronics; personal computers; and hobby items including animation-related products. In the electronic retail district, stores were originally concentrated in the north-central area. Booms in retail activities were associated with geographical shifts. Relatively large stores of personal computers were located in the south of the area. Otaku-related subculture stores moved to the northwest area. This area is called “Ota Road” (the road of Otaku). The dense clustering in Nipponbashi has an important influence not only on the scale of commercial activities but also on generating and attracting new subcultures. Nipponbashi is a unique place that is a setting for social interactions and encourages openness toward different values. To explore its placeness, we present the importance of land/store owners' tolerance in the Nipponbashi district.