Yamaguchi

Yamaguchi is located at the westernmost tip of Honshu and has a complex topography surrounded by the sea on three sides: the Sea of Japan side, the Seto Inland Sea side, and the East China Sea side facing the Kanmon Straits. About 70% of the prefecture's land is forest, and agricultural land is dispersed across plain areas such as the Hagi Plain, Yamaguchi Basin, Shunan Plain, and the Toyoura region. The Seto Inland Sea side (around Shunan, Yanai, and Hikari cities) is warm with little rain, while the Sea of Japan side (around Hagi and Nagato cities) tends to have high precipitation in winter. Rice and vegetables are cultivated in the alluvial lands formed by rivers such as the Nishiki River and Abu River. The area around the Kanmon Straits, centered on Shimonoseki City, has strong tidal currents and is known as a good fishing ground for seafood, and Shimonoseki serves as a major collection and distribution point handling the majority of fugu (torafugu or tiger pufferfish) traded nationally. The warm Sea of Japan coast around Hagi City has a track record as a production area for red sea bream and kensaki ika (swordtip squid), and locally specific agricultural products like Nagato Yuzukichi (citrus) are produced in Nagato City. Hagi City is known as a main production area for natsumikan (summer mandarin), with a history of cultivation dating back to the Meiji period.

Source: MAFF Crop Statistics (Reiwa 5 / 2023), JMA historical weather data

In Yamaguchi's food industry, the weight of the seafood industry is larger than that of agriculture, and the fugu collection, distribution, and processing industry centered in Shimonoseki holds a national presence. In terms of agriculture, while there are few outstanding items that rank high nationally, there continues to be a direction of cultivating locally specific agricultural products as regional brands, such as Nagato Yuzukichi and Hagi natsumikan (history as a main production area). The structure of the prefecture's agriculture is a dispersed type adapted to diverse topographies such as mountainous areas, coastal plains, and basins, and its strength lies in the distinct individuality of each production area rather than large-scale production areas. The market function of Shimonoseki, which has the geographical gateway of the Kanmon Straits, serves not only as Yamaguchi the production area but also as a national seafood distribution hub, and this dual nature of "production area" and "distribution hub" forms the uniqueness of Yamaguchi's food industry.