Agriculture
Aichi possesses a varied natural topography, from sea-level regions to highlands 700 m in elevation, and the region's geographical proximity to major consumer markets in Nagoya and other cities has given rise to distinctive agricultural industries in the various parts of the prefecture. Aichi boasts the country's sixth-largest agricultural output, valued at 321 billion yen, with thriving vegetable, flower, and livestock industries.
The flower industry particularly stands out, with Aichi being dubbed the "Kingdom of Flowers" for leading the country in floriculture since 1962. It boasts Japan's largest output of several floral products, including chrysanthemums, roses, and tropical orchids.
Forestry
About 43%, or 220,000 hectares, of Aichi is forested. Man-made forests account for 64% of that number, ranking third in the country and greatly exceeding the national average of 46%. In addition, 73% of Aichi's forests are 46 years old or older, which is much greater than the national average (56%) and testifies to the richness of the prefecture's forest resources.
Aichi is also a prominent center for lumber distribution and processing.
Fisheries
Aichi's fishing industry, thanks to its bountiful ocean, river, and aquaculture resources, has made the prefecture one of Japan's most important fishing regions, with fisheries for a wide variety of aquatic species including short-necked clams (of which Aichi is Japan's foremost producer) to kuruma prawns (the prefectural fish), eels, sweetfish, and goldfish. In order to enjoy continued use of its aquatic resources, the prefecture is promoting resource-managing fisheries that strike a balance between fishing and renewing fish stock resources.
A. Plains (Owari Region)
Blessed with the bountiful waters of the Kiso River as well as fertile soil, Owari has been a region of thriving vegetable cultivation since ancient times. Its location on the fringes of a large urban center allows it to be a producer and supplier for all kinds of vegetables, fruit, and flowers.
The region has also developed a vigorous “greening” industry, a term that refers collectively to the planting and cultivation of trees for afforestation, trees for landscaping, and groundcover vegetation.
The estuarine waters of the Kiso River are home to flourishing goldfish fisheries, and in addition to being one of the country's top goldfish producers, the Kiso River system is home to commercial and recreational fishing with a focus on sweetfish.
B.Mountains
This part of Aichi is the prefecture's main forestry region, and forestry has been the local industry since ancient times, with Japanese cedar trees and Japanese cypress trees actively planted and grown here. As a result, the region today is home to a wealth of forest resources.
The beautiful, lustrous, reddish grain of Japanese cedar wood is quite distinctive, making it ideal as an interior building material, while Japanese cypress wood has a pale pink color and an outstanding luster, and is used for making columns in homes. Japanese cedar and Japanese cypress both possess many beneficial properties; neither is prone to bending, and the width of their tree rings is uniform.
Because the volume of wood production has increased recently, the industry has been promoting the use of high-performance forestry machinery while working to achieve improvements in efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
Vegetable and flower producers have also been taking advantage of the cool climate in the mountainous areas, and commercial and recreational fishing of sweetfish and Biwa salmon take place here, along with trout aquaculture made possible by the cool alpine streams and rivers.
C.Ocean
The Kiso Three Rivers, the Yahagi River, and the Toyogawa River carry an abundance of nutrients into Ise and Mikawa Bays and create tidal flats. Aichi's coastal areas are a hotbed of fishing activity that includes small-scale trawling, gillnetting, shellfish gathering, and seaweed farming.
The Enshunada shoals, where the continental plates gradually widen, has become a favored spot for small-scale trawling and pair trawling.
D.Plains (Mikawa Region)
In addition to its warm climate and bountiful Toyogawa and Yahagi Rivers, Mikawa's well-maintained transportation network has enabled a wide variety of agricultural industries, making it the most prominent agricultural region in Japan. Among the region's many vegetable and flower varieties, its cabbages and chrysanthemums are some of the most important agricultural products that Aichi produces. Seedling cultivation for tree-planting is another agricultural activity carried out here, but particularly of note has been the development of greenhouse horticulture, with most vegetables and flowers being grown in glass or plastic greenhouses.
Eel fisheries can also be found around the communities of Isshiki and Toyohashi, with the region serving as one of Japan's main eel producers.
Aichi is one of Japan's top agricultural producers, but a proportionately larger portion of Aichi's agricultural output consists of vegetables and floriculture. The prefecture's agriculture is also characterized by the particularly widespread use of glass or plastic greenhouses for horticulture.
(The statistical values given are from 2008.)
