Field Science Center, Graduate School of Agricultural Science,
Tohoku University [ Kawatabi Field Center ]Field Education Center
for Learning Links between Food and the Environment
We provide ﬁeld-based education programs for learning link
between food and the environment. The programs are open
to students from other university

Joint Usage/Education Center
The aim of Joint Usage/Education Centers is to provide a high level of education andresearch at the university level by eﬀectively utilizing the human and physicalresources of individual universities in order to address the diverse needs of societyand students. The system is designed to facilitate the joint use of facilities amonguniversities by designating universities throughout Japan as joint-usage centers inspeciﬁc ﬁelds. The Kawatabi Field Center was approved by the Ministry of Education,Sports, Culture, Science and Technology as a Joint
Usage/Education Center (for the period 2011‒2020). It has been designated as a
“Field Educational Center for Larning on Links between Food and the Environment”
and its ﬁeld education programs are open to students from other universities.

Livestockmanagement

ForestIntegr atedter r estr ial ﬁeld

Kawatabi Field Center
Extensive ﬁeld areaTohoku Universityʼs Kawatabi Field Center is the largest university-aﬃliated farm inJapan. Its extensive ﬁeld area, measuring 2,200 ha, ranges from mountainous
terrain to lowlands and comprises multiple zones that include forests, grasslands
and farming land to suit the topography. These features make it unique in Japan.

Highly specialized
A total of 12 teaching staﬀ are stationed at the Field Center and it also employs
many technical personnel from diﬀerent specialties. In addition to individual
farming-related skills backed by a high level of specialist knowledge, it is designed
to enable students to experience the complex multiplicity of ecosystems that makeup the food-production environment, including cropland, grassland and forests,
and to see in a single ﬁeld how water and nutrients are recycled and livingorganisms interact through these.

CroplandA ﬁeld that integrates multiple diﬀering ecosystems,
such as farmland and forest land

I saw organically and conventionally grown rice with my own eyes and was amazedat the diﬀerences in terms of color and panicles, the presence of weeds and so on.

Comments ofstudents

Resource
recyclingI knew that cuddly cows are raised to be eaten, but after
seeing them with my own eyes and hearing about them,
I realized I should be more grateful for what I have to eat.
The experience of seeing and touching brought home to me theblessing of food. I felt I needed to take another look at the
everyday things that I have been taking for granted and to thinkagain about the water, soil and other things in the environmentthat are essential for food production.

Seeing and experiencing the various things that link up to form the natural ecosystemtaught me how interesting and important living things and the environment are.

Dairy barn (milking equipment)

PastureForest observation area

Compost fermentation facility

Cattle barn
CowshedFattingbarn
CowshedArtiﬁcial wetland

PastureBiogas plant

Pastureﬁeld

Sheep barn

Farm machinery training building A

CowshedCattlebarn

Carpark
Lodging facilities

Research buildingP

Paddy ﬁeld

Farm machinery training building B
Administration building
CarparkP

BlueberryBlueberry

Seedling greenhouse

Field map

Access map

Transportation
To Kurikomayama

RailTo Hanayama

To Akita

CarNational Road108
Arao RiverBusLake Arao-ko

Seminar Center

Naruko DamNationalRoad 47
To Shinjo

NarukoNaruko Goten-yu
Onsen

KawatabiOnsen

Main Building

From Tohoku Shinkansen Furukawa Station, take the JR
Rikuu East Line bound for Naruko Onsen and get oﬀ atKawatabi Onsen Station. From there, it is about a
30-minute walk.
Exit the Tohoku Expressway at the Furukawa IC andtravel about 40 minutes on National Road 47 in the
direction of Naruko Onsen.
From the bus stop in front of Sendai Station,
take the highway bus bound for Naruko and getoﬀ at Kawatabi Onsen (travel time 75 minutes).
From there, it is about a 35-minute walk.

Kawatabi Field Center
Rikuu East Line

To Furukawa,
SendaiSendaiTokyo