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Mid-Holocene climatic/paleogeographical changes, cultural dynamics, and their relations in the basin of the Sea of Japan are reviewed. The sequence and chronology of warmings/ coolings are reconstructed as follows: the first warming of the mid-Holocene took place between 7200 and 6200 14C yr BP in Sakhalin, although the maximum warming was between 5000 and 6000 14C yr BP; in Japan, the peak of warmth might be traced at the level of 6500- 5500 or 6500-5000 14C yr BP; a significant cooling in Japan is detected between 4000 and 4500 14C yr BP, which corresponds to the Early Subboreal cooling in Sakhalin Island about 4400 14C yr BP, to that in Primorye about 4200-4700 14C yr BP, and in the Kurile Islands approximately 4500-4800 14C yr BP. The Tsushima Current's inflow in the Sea of Japan started after 9000-9500 14C yr BP, but the influx of the current on a full scale might occur approximately 8000 14C yr BP. It is suggested that a period of high storm frequency in Korea and Primorye, corresponding to maximum warming in Japan and Sakhalin, took place 5300- 6000 14C yr BP, Climatic estimates show that the ''climatic optimum'' (time span between 5000 and 6000 14C yr BP) is characterized in the Russian Far East by the annual average temperature excess of 2-6°C and more humid conditions. Annual average sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in the Sea of Japan were 1-2°C higher compared to the present. Archaeological records from Japan, Korea, and the southern Russian Far East (i.e., evidence for material and spiritual culture, and the subsistence patterns of the prehistoric populations) indicate important changes were occurring around 5000 14C yr BP. In general, the main cultural changes in the Japan Sea basin correspond to the period after the climatic optimum of the Holocene. This conclusion reinforces the need for further investigation of the dynamics of climate and culture in the mid-Holocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]