# SOIL : Dig Anywhere — A Living Nature Guide

> Educational app exploring soil composition, formation, and ecological significance. (iPhone/iPad app by Act1 Corporation.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/soil-dig-anywhere/id1059914569 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Act1 Corporation](https://appshunter.io/developer/295290969)
- Category: Reference, Education
- Price: Free
- Rating: 5.00/5 from 1 App Store ratings · 15 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 11.0 · 761 MB
- Languages: American English, Japanese
- Released: 2015-12-16
- Data updated: 2026-08-25
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/soil-dig-anywhere/id1059914569/reviews.md

## What is SOIL?

Winner of the Excellence Award in the Education & Kids Category
Best App Award 2024

Dig freely into the ground and explore what lies beneath the soil!

“Soil” is a remake based on scenes and landscapes from Let’s Explore Inside the Earth, a representative work by the Japanese picture book author Satoshi Kako, first published in 1975.
With “soil” as its main theme, this work has been newly reimagined with original illustrations created by designer Tsutomu Kakinuma.

From the time we are very young, we naturally know that soil exists.
But what exactly is soil? How is it formed? And how does it affect our lives and the lives of other living things?
Perhaps there are not many adults who can explain these things in detail.

In this work, you can learn about soil — something that exists almost everywhere around us, yet is often overlooked because it seems so ordinary.
You can also discover many different things connected to soil, such as living creatures, natural phenomena, human production activities, and culture.

This work is filled with answers to countless questions — hundreds, even thousands of them.
However, this work is still only a “created world” inside software. The number of living creatures and natural phenomena it can show is far smaller than those found in real nature.

So after enjoying this app, we hope you will go outside, look closely at real nature with your own eyes, and feel the difference between the “created world” and the real one.

Please note that some small animals and other elements are shown larger than their actual scale, because they would be difficult to see if displayed at their true size.

How to Use
◯ Tap the ground to dig a hole. By digging, you can observe what lies beneath the surface. The terrain you dig is saved automatically.
To reset it, please tap the red reset button inside the app.
You can also pinch out to move the viewpoint forward, and pinch in to move it backward.
◯ Tap the “+” button next to the soil name displayed at the top of the screen to view an explanation of the soil.
◯ Tap the magnifying glass icon at the bottom right of the screen to switch to Encyclopedia Mode, where you can check the names of plants and animals.
◯ In Encyclopedia Mode, tap the markers shown on the screen to see the names of the plants or animals connected to them.
◯ Tap the “+” button next to the name of a plant or animal to view its explanation.
To start digging again, tap the shovel icon at the bottom right of the screen.

Languages
Japanese and English
When the OS language setting is changed to English, the language inside the app will also change to English.

Supporters
NPO Arakawa Clean-aid Forum
Miyata Bussan Co., Ltd.

Production
Design, Illustration, Text, and Production: Tsutomu Kakinuma
Programming: Keijiro Iwase
Music: Shohei Matsushita / M-Swift
Supervision: Haruo Tanaka, Associate Professor, Soil Science Laboratory, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology
Supervision — Nest of the Japanese Black Ant: Toshiyuki Sato, Associate Professor, Animal Behavior Laboratory, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology
Supervision and Text — Arakawa River Mouth Stages: Kazuyuki Imamura, Director / Secretary General of Arakawa Clean-aid Forum, Doctor of Engineering
Sound Effects and English Translation: Yuki Horino
English Proofreading: Staff members of Bloomberg L.P.
Special Thanks:
Attkun, Fiona san, Joe, Jun, Mitsuharu, Ohashi san, Sakumoto, Shinjuku Mitsubachi

Contact
oltvects@outlook.com

## Key features

- Detailed soil exploration
- Natural science education
- Engaging illustrations
- Answers common soil questions
- Bilingual support (Japanese/English)

## Recent user reviews (10 of 15)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/soil-dig-anywhere/id1059914569/reviews.md

### 4/5 — 保存できるようにして欲しい

*2025-05-13, version 1.4*

娘が夢中でやっていましたが、途中経過が保存できず、最初からになってしまいやらなくなってしまいました。途中経過を保存できるようにして欲しいです。

### 4/5 — 惜しい

*2024-11-06, version 1.4*

凝ってるし勉強になるけど、なかなか進まず保存ができないから結局やらなくなる
せめて保存できるようにして欲しい

### 4/5 — 良い

*2021-08-23, version 1.4*

良いアプリなのだが、
アプリを閉じたり、別のステージに移動すると、今まで掘り進めていたのが全てリセットされてしまうのが残念。保存できたりしたら良いのですが。

### 5/5 — Beautiful representation and learning tool

*2021-05-21*

I am still exploring this app and don’t fully understand it.  But it is a beautiful representation of important concepts relating to soil and botany.  I highly recommend it to anyone who cares about and wishes to learn about our planet

### 5/5 — もう少しでアップデートとの事で更に楽しみ！

*2019-05-10, version 1.1.3*

昔ながらの自然の原風景がIllustratorにより再現されていて、眺めているだけでも心が安らぎます。

更に子供心にくすぐる様な掘りすすめて行き、見えない自然物を探す行為は、子供の頃によくやった遊びを思い出させてくれます。

また、Illustratorの解説も詳しく描かれていて、Illustratorで絵を描きたいと思っている方にもおすすめです。

### 5/5 — こだわりの一品

*2019-05-09, version 1.1.3*

土を掘れるという発想が面白い。そして音楽がよい。時間はかかると思いますががんばって下さい(^^)

### 4/5 — 画面ずれ直った

*2019-05-07, version 1.1.3*

iPhone Xシリーズの画面ずれが直りました。

ステージのアップデート楽しみにしてます。

### 4/5 — グラフィックと画像は秀逸です

*2016-12-09, version 1.1.0*

まだダウンロードしたばかりなので
これからどんどん触っていきたいです。

### 5/5 — 名作復活！！

*2016-12-08, version 1.1.0*

原作の本を持ってるんですがそれと見比べてみるのも面白い遊び方。そいえば原作の本は小学校の図書室にも置いてあった記憶があります。名作復活。

### 3/5 — 内容は素晴らしいが

*2016-12-08, version 1.1.0*

3Dマップを回転できないため、重なり合っているアイコンをタップ出来ない。せめて視点を反対側に持っていけるなどの操作性の向上を望む。

## Frequently asked questions about SOIL

### What is SOIL about?

SOIL is a natural science app focused on exploring the composition, formation, and ecological importance of soil. It uses engaging illustrations inspired by Satoshi Kako's work to answer common questions about soil and its relationship with living things.

### Is SOIL available in multiple languages?

Yes, SOIL supports both Japanese and English. You can switch the language within the app's settings.

### What kind of content does SOIL offer?

SOIL provides answers to questions about soil depth, root systems, groundwater, plant life, and the living organisms found in various environments like paddy fields and rivers. It aims to spark interest in natural science.

### Can I learn about real soil with SOIL?

While SOIL uses artificial experiences within the software, it encourages users to visit real nature after playing with the app. The goal is to help users appreciate the differences between digital representations and actual natural phenomena.

### What is the age rating for SOIL?

SOIL has an age rating of 4+, making it suitable for a wide range of users interested in learning about nature.

### On which devices can I use SOIL?

SOIL is available on iPhone, iPad, and iPod devices, making it accessible to a broad iOS user base.

### How often is SOIL updated?

The latest version of SOIL is 1.4, which was last updated on July 3, 2020. This indicates a stable release with potential for future updates.

### Does SOIL have ads?

No, SOIL is a free application and does not contain advertisements. Users can enjoy the educational content without interruptions.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 1.5.0 — 2026-07-10

It has been a while since our last update. This update includes the following changes:
- We have added an auto-save feature for the ground you dig. With this feature, the ground and terrain you have excavated will be saved even after you close the app.
- When you discover and tap all the plants and animals in “Spring Field” — by tapping each explanation marker and changing it from red to blue — instructions for using a hidden feature will now be displayed.
- When you discover and tap all the plants and animals in “Early Summer Village” — by tapping each explanation marker and changing it from red to blue — instructions for using a hidden feature will now be displayed.
- When you view the explanations for all plants and animals in every stage — by tapping each explanation marker and changing it from red to blue — special limited content will now be displayed.
- We have added informational content about the Arakawa River.
- We have added content related to Phacet (working title).
- We have fixed some UI issues.

Thank you very much for your continued support of SOIL.

### 1.4 — 2020-07-03

This update includes the following:
We would like to thank all the Bloomberg L.P. staff for proofreading the English text.

(1) Addition of flip board content

(2) UI improvements

(3) Improvement of explanation English (animals and plants)
#Spring fields, Spring Satoyama, Early summer rural , Arakawa 1, Arakawa 2, Spring farms

(4) Improved operability

### 1.3.0 — 2019-12-29

Thank you for downloading SOIL.
New stages are available.

### 1.2.3 — 2019-10-13

Minor Bug Fixes

### 1.2.2 — 2019-10-01

Minor bug fix

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All apps by Act1 Corporation: https://appshunter.io/developer/295290969

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-25.*