Japan: Human and Physical Geographies

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Japan Human and Physical Geographies

• This Presentation was developed for
• the National Consortium for Teaching About Asia
• Tennessee Workshop
• October 3, 2009
• Ronald V. Kalafsky, PhD
• Department of Geography
• University of Tennessee
• Knoxville TN 37996 USA
• kalafsky_at_utc.edu
• Tel [phone]

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Maps of Japan
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Why look at Japan?

• Still the worlds second largest economy
• Huge influence on the region and the world at
  large
• Economic/industrial
• Cultural
• Current cultural impacts
• Important strategic location

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Cultural Impact Anime
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The basics

• Four major islands
• Honshu
• Hokkaido
• Kyushu
• Shikoku
• Japans geography has shaped its activities

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Map of Four Islands
Hokkaido
Honshu
Shikoku
Kyushu
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The landscape

• Roughly 80 of Japan is mountainous
• Most human activities are in located the plains
  along the coasts
• Seismically active
• The cultural importance of Mt. Fuji
• Interaction between culture and the landscape

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Map of Japan
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Land Use in Japan
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Mt. Fuji
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Active Volcanoes, Plate Tectonics, and the Ring
of Fire
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Climate of Japan

• Covering a wide range of latitudes
• Comparisons?
• Cooler temperatures on Hokkaido
• Warm and humid on Kyushu
• Tokyo cooler winters with hot, humid summers
• Generally wetter than the US
• Due to monsoons

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Land use intensity in Japan

• Why?
• 130 million people
• Area slightly smaller than California
• Recall that 80 of Japan is mountainous
• So, even less arable land
• The concept of physiological density
• What does this do to costs of land, food, etc.?

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Population Density
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Aerial view of Kansai International Airport,
Osaka, Japan
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Airport
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Landscape and Human Activities in Japan

• The lack of available land and the large
  population influence activities
• The clustering of cities and economic activities
  along the coasts
• Especially between Tokyo and Osaka
• The effective use of rail transportation
• Very little large-scale agriculture
• The Hokkaido exception

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The rice issue

• Rice is important to Japan
• Diet
• Culture
• Japan attempts to grow 100 of its rice
• Given land constraints, is this a problem?
• The government priority given to agriculture

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Rice Cultivation in Japan (photo)
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Land Use
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Aerial View of Airport in Japan
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Natural hazards

• Earthquakes
• Floods
• Landslides
• Human contributions to hazards
• Attempts to mitigate hazards

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Natural resources

• Very few
• Timber
• Fish
• Coal
• Now too unprofitable to mine

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The environment

• Human-caused hazards
• Pollution
• Responses?

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City Congestion
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Demography

• The aging population
• Declining birthrate
• Population growth rate of -0.088
• Overall population is shrinking

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Population of Japan 2000
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Projected Population of Japan 2025
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Demography

• How does this influence the economy?
• Workforce shortages
• Social programs
• Immigration issues

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Sign in Japanese Subway
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Where are the major population centers?

• Tokyo-Yokohama
• Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto
• Nagoya
• Others

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Major Population Centers of Japan
Japan-guide.com
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National Parks in Japan
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Greater Nagoya Region

• Population 11 million
• City of Nagoya 2 million
• 4th largest Japanese city by population
• The others?
• Three prefectures in the GN region
• Aichi
• Gifu
• Mie

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Geographical Advantage

• Easy access to major business centers
• Surrounded by major sea ports

Greater Nagoya
Tokyo 95 minutes by bullet train
Port of Mikawa
Port of Nagoya
Port of Yokkaichi
Centrair (International Airport) 28 minutes by
train
Osaka 52 minutes by bullet train
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Greater Nagoya region

• 19th largest economy in the world
• Busiest seaport (in terms of value)
• Why is this city (and its surrounding regions)
  important?
• How is economic growth in this region unique?
• Compared with other advanced economies?

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Why is Greater Nagoya unique and/or important?

• Manufacturing center of Japan
• Industrial concentration (within Japan)
• Motor vehicles 44
• Auto parts 43
• Engine parts 58
• Machine tools 40
• Aircraft components 48
• Links with Boeing?

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The Toyota factor

• HQ is nearby
• Other, related industries/companies
• Denso
• Aisin
• Toyotas looming impact on the Greater Nagoya
  economy
• A note about the Toyota name

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Challenges for Greater Nagoya

• Can the manufacturing boom last forever?
• Can the automobile boom last?
• Japanese costs
• Demographic issues

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The importance and dominance of Tokyo

• Largest city
• Overwhelming dominance over Japanese activities
• The financial center of Japan
• Government center
• Transportation center
• Most headquarters are in Tokyo
• Dissatisfaction with Tokyo from elsewhere in
  Japan
• Costs?

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Tokyo
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A geography of Tokyo

• A collection of several city centers
• City layout?
• Well-served by rail/metro lines

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Tokyo Subway system
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The economy

• Agriculture 1.6
• Manufacturing 25.3
• Services 73.1