Ecosystem services of coastal sand dunes saw from the aspect of Sake breweries in Chiba Prefecture, Japan: A comparison of coastal and inland areas

In this report, we reviewed the differences in the ecosystem services of coastal and inland areas surrounding 39 Sake breweries in Chiba Prefecture by investigating environmental variables (e.g., location, altitude, soil, and hardness of preparation water). The Sake breweries were located in three distinct environments: the coastal vicinity, the river plains region, and the plateau/ mountainous region. The hardness of the preparation water and the soil types in the coastal vicinity were compared with those of the river plains and the plateau/mountainous region. Strong hard and hard water sources were observed in 70% or more of the breweries in the coastal vicinity, and sand dune regosol, coarse particle brown lowland soil, and coarse particle grey soil were more prevalent along the coast than inland. Most of the Sake brewery wells in the coastal vicinity were approximately 5 - 10 munderground, and there were no great differences in the number of Sake breweries in each well depth class in the river plains and the plateau/mountains region. We analysed environmental factors (distance from the sea, soil type, water hardness and preparation water collection depth) using a principal component analysis. This analysis revealed the existence of three main environments: the coastal vicinity, the river plains and the plateau/mountainous region. We conclude that the decrease in altitude between the inland Sake breweries and those along the coast is accompanied by a corresponding increase in the hardness of preparation water (from soft water to strong hard or hard water) and shifts in soil composition from gley soil, grey lowland soil, brown forest soil, and andosol to sand dune regosol, coarse particle brown lowland soil, and coarse particle grey soil.

Traditional Food Culture (Local Cuisines, Japanese Sake) That Has Been Nurtured by the Rich Nature of the Prefecture, Japan

In Chiba Prefecture, Japan, during the Edo period (1603-1867), the development of waterway traffic by ships and the management of ports, highways and post towns around the ports progressed with the prosperity of the Edo (present-day Tokyo), which became heavily populated and the center of politics. We estimated that the demand of Japanese sake, which is luxury grocery item, was high. The freshwater layer that is abundant in mineral water to a depth of approximately 10 m is formed in coastal sand dunes. The fresh water layer is hard water, in which the concentrations of minerals such as calcium and magnesium are high. When the fresh water layer is used as the preparation water, the working rice malt and yeast in the sake brewing process become active. Japanese sake trends to be dry with a full-bodied taste. In addition, the main ingredients of local cuisines are fish and shellfish;many local cuisines are seasoned using soy sauce, miso and salt, and these local cuisines pair well with the type of Japanese sake described above. The local cuisines have been nurtured in harmony with the region’s rich nature and heritage. In the future, we need to conserve the rich natural environment of the tidal flat, coast, seaweed beds, and marine, which have been producing the main local cuisine in Chiba Prefecture, and the water source area (a successive environment on the plateau from the coast, which was previously called the coastal dune area) of the preparation water for making Japanese sake. We also need to proactively develop local production for local consumption activities. Thus, we hypothesize that if the Japanese food life is secured and the traditional food culture is continued, the region will become revitalized by the development of the exchanges in the region.

Effects of environmental factors on <i>Sparganium emersum</i>and <i>Sparganium erectum</i>colonization in two drainage ditches with different maintenance

In the Niheishimizu and Ooshimizu sections of the town of Misato in the Akita Prefecture, Northern Japan, there are many abundant spring water areas. Sparganium (Sparganium emersum and Sparganium erectum) species are widely distributed in the irrigation water that fed by spring water. The irrigation waters were divided the natural type ditch and the maintained ditch that connect with nearby natural ditch to promote environmentally friendly agriculture. This study was conducted in both sections to support the maintenance of the irrigation water fed by the abundant spring water. A vegetation survey was conducted in September of 2005. The survey collected data on the amount of vegetation cover and the stem lengths of the plant species found in selected locations of the study area. The water depths and the flow velocities were also measured in these locations. As for the growth situation of S. emersum and S. erectum, the submerged form of S. emersum was found in water approximately 15 cm deep with a surface flow velocity of approximately 7 cm/s. This species was characterised by a relatively fast flow and relatively shallow water. The emergent and submerged growth forms of S. emersum were found in waters having flow velocities faster than those associated with S. erectum. The emergent form of S. emersum grew in relatively deep water. S. emersum is more capable of adjusting to the conditions of stream habitats than S. erectum.

Effect of Soil Transplantation to Abandoned Paddy Field on the Conservation of Threatened Hydrophyte Species

Threatened or near threatened hydrophytes, Ottelia alismoides, Monochoria korsakowii, Najas graminea, Najas minor and Chara braunii, appeared in an inundated paddy field after the 2011 Tohoku-oki Tsunami in Japan. Due to the reconstruction of roads and agricultural restoration efforts implemented following the disaster, the top soil of the paddy field was transplanted to another abandoned paddy field in 2014 to avoid extirpation of the aforementioned species. We then conducted vegetation surveys in July and September from 2014 to 2016. Monochoria korsakowii appeared at the transplantation site from 2014 to 2016, forming a large community in 2016. The volume of this species was significantly higher than that in July 2014 and 2015. Although Ottelia alismoides and Chara braunii appeared in 2014, they were not observed in 2015. Najas graminea and Najas minor were not observed during the vegetation survey, and Salvinia natans and Alisma plantago-aquatica newly appeared at the transplantation site. Our findings suggest that transplantation of surface soil and the seed bank therein to an abandoned paddy field is well suited for the conservation of hygrophytes such as Monochoria korsakowii, Ottelia alismoides and Chara braunii. Preventing disturbances that suppress the growth of herbaceous perennial plants is considered necessary for maintaining the habitats of threatened plant species.