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Module One: GEOGRAPHY |
| GEOGRAPHICAL BACKGROUND Japan consists of over 3,000 islands that extend from the northeast to southwest for 1,360 miles. These materials are concerned primarily with the four largest islands that make up 98% of the total land area. From north to south these islands are Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu. The coast of Russia lies 186 miles from Hokkaido, but Sakhalin Island, which is part of Russia is only 23 miles away. Korea is 124 miles from Kyushu across the Tsushima Straits and Straits of Korea. Tsushima Island is situated about halfway between Korea and Japan, and was traditionally used as a resting place for ships making the journey. The roughness of the sea and strong winds of the Straights of Tsushima have played a significant role in isolating Japan from the Chinese mainland. Japan stretches from north to south within roughly the same latitudes as the Eastern Seaboard of the United States but climate differs significantly. |
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Japan's is basically a temperate climate: there are four seasons, and each
is almost exactly three months in length. Because of the tremendous differences in
latitude between Eastern and Western Japan, it is difficult to comment on the climate of
the country as a whole, so I will confine my remarks to the island of Honshu, the location
of the biggest population centers. Honshu can be divided roughly in half into two areas known as Kansai ("west of the barrier") and Kanto ("east of the barrier"). The barrier was one of the tolls on the major road between Kyoto and Tokyo. While we know the actual physical location of the toll (Otsu, in the Shiga |
| Prefecture), this is not important; the importance of the barrier is historical, linguistic and cultural. Indeed, while the original division was around Otsu city, and was established during the thirteenth century, this dividing line was moved much farther East during the seventeenth century. |
| The most salient topological feature of Japan is mountains: about 85% of Japan is
mountains. These run down the middle of Japan like a backbone, and are the result of
prehistoric volcanic activity. Japan has roughly the land mass of California, but in 1983 had a population over five times that of California: 119,483,000 versus 23,668,049. Due to the mountains, only 15% of the total land area of Japan is available for both agriculture and housing. Compare the distribution to land use in Japan in 1981 with the U.S. figures for 1982. |
| USE Forest & grassland Under cultivation Water area-rivers, lakes, etc. Building Roads Meadowland/ Pastures Other |
JAPAN 1982 1995 67.7% 67.2% 14.4% 13.6% 3.0% 3.5% 3.8% 4.5% 2.8% 3.2% .4% 7.9% |
U.S. 1982 1990 57.3% 17.1% 19% NA 5% NA NA 1.7% NA 3.0% NA 18% NA |
| *1982 U.S. figures are from Statistical Abstract of the United States. The
figures for the amount of land used for residential purposes is estimated from 1974
figures. The 1982 Japanese figures come from Nihon Tokei Nenkan. 1995 figures from . Japan Land Use Statistics http://w3.one.net/~voyager/jd1.html ; 1990 U.S. statistics from Statistical Abstract of the U.S. http://www.census.gov/prod/www/statistical-abstract-us.html Note the contrast in amount of land under cultivation: the percentages are not so dissimilar, but in Japan, this figure decreases every year, while in the United States, the figure increases. In Japan, less than 10% of the population engages in agriculture and this also decreases every year; land and labor productivity have increased steadily since World War II, agriculture in Japan has gone from labor intensive to highly mechanized and capital intensive. The mountains which constitute such a large proportion of the land area have significant effect on the climate. Winter weather on the Japan Sea side of the island, the windward side, is much harsher than on the Pacific Ocean side, the leeward side. There is more snow on the windward side, and the winds are more severe. In the summer, however, the windward side is cooler. The winter climate on the Pacific Ocean side of Honshu is noticeably milder than that of the Japan Sea side, and as a result most of the big cities are on the Pacific Ocean side of the island. Part of the reason for milder temperature has to do with ocean currents. These are very strong gulf currents which warm up the Pacific Ocean side. These climatic differences are reflected in the variety of crops grown in different areas, and the number of harvests. |
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Japan's Climate Lesson Plan http://faldo.atmos.uiuc.edu/CLA/LESSONS/315.html AGRICULTURE It's been said that the Japanese stand facing the mountains with their backs to the ocean. Although fish is a major source of protein, the Japanese are farmers, and have been for over 1200 years. Part of the Taika reforms of 645, one of the earliest government documents we have, concerns itself with land reform. The nature of agriculture in Japan has changed over the years. Traditionally, only one rice crop is grown in northeastern Japan, but because of the warmer climate it is possible to grow two crops in southwestern Japan. The production of wheat, barley, rye, and soybeans is gradually decreasing. While these used to be alternate crops for rice, there is no need anymore to grow an alternate crop, due to |
| (1) high rice prices in Japan (the price of rice in Japan is five times the world
average, because of supports) and also (2) the availability of cheap imports. Most of
Japan's soybeans come from the American Midwest. An amazing variety of fruits and vegetables are grown in Japan: over four hundred species, more than most countries. This is mostly due to the variety of climate as discussed above. |
| More resources on Japanese geography: PCL Map collection - Japan Maps http://www.lib.utexas.edu/Libs/PCL/Map_collection/japan.html Kid’s Web Japan: Nature & Climate http://www.jinjapan.org/kidsweb/japan/g.html Kid’s Web Japan: Regions http://www.jinjapan.org/kidsweb/japan/f.html Asia for Eductors - The Columbia East Asian Curriculum Project http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/mainframe.htm GEOGRAPHY OF JAPAN Lesson Plan http://www.indiana.edu/~japan/japan/mdnjapan/LS28.html |
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