Until then, the conifer forests covered much of the Japanese archipelago; however, the deciduous broad-leaved forests grew and spread from southwest Japan along the coast of the Pacific and the deciduous broad-leaved and the laurel forests came to cover much of the Japanese archipelago except Hokkaido.
それまでは、針葉樹林が列島を覆っていたが、西南日本から太平洋沿岸伝いに落葉広葉樹林が増加し拡がっていき、北海道をのぞいて列島の多くが落葉広葉樹林と照葉樹林で覆われた。