Since buckwheat grows even in poor soil, it has been actively cultivated in mountainous areas and newly developed land from as far north as Hokkaido and as far south as Kagoshima in Kyushu.
ソバは痩せた土壌でも栽培できたことから、北は北海道から南は九州鹿児島まで、山間地や新規開拓地で盛んに生産された。