Transcript The Human Geography of Japan - NAJAS

The Human Geography
of Japan
By
Kieran McLaughlin, M.S. Ed.
Physical Geography
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Land area – 145,882 square miles,
smaller than Montana
Four Main Islands: Hokkaido, Honshu,
Kyushu, and Shikoku
Japan is mostly mountainous and the
cities are located on the coast
Mount Fuji is the highest point –
elevation 12,388 ft.
Mild earthquakes are common and
severe earthquakes occur every few
years
The Japanese experience all four
seasons.
The Location of Tokyo - 35 40 N 139
45 E
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Located at the same latitude as
Milwaukee
Northern Japan has very cold winters
and the climate of southern Japan is
more tropical
Image: http://ocw.mit.edu/NR/rdonlyres/PoliticalScience/17-486Spring-2008/BC1BA251-9F76-442A-99D8B473885195F5/0/chp_japan.jpg
Historical Geography
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Known as the land of the rising
sun
Has a line of Emperors to the
present
From 12th to late 19th Century
Shoguns had control
Shoguns expelled all foreigners in
17th century, opted for strict
isolation
In 1853, US Naval Officer Perry
sailed into Tokyo and demanded
a Treaty
Became a regional power through
victories against Chine (1895)
and Russia (1905)
After WWII US occupied Japan
from 1945-1952
Image (https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-worldfactbook/graphics/flags/large/ja-lgflag.gif
Historical Geography Cont…
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Japan adopted a new
US influenced
constitution
• Renouncing war,
granting basic human
rights, and declaring
Japan a democracy
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The US and Japan still
maintain close political
and military ties
Population Geography
(Japan compared to the USA)
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Population: 127,288,416
(rank=10)
Human Dev. Index rank: 8
of 177 countries
Real GDP per capita:
$31,267
Adult literacy rate: 99%
(male); 99% (female)
Life expectancy: 79
(male); 86 (female)
Infant mortality rate: 3 per
1,000 births
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Population: 303,824,640
(rank=3)
Human Dev. Index rank:
12 of 177 countries
Real GDP per capita:
$41,890
Adult literacy rate: 99%
(male); 99% (female)
Life expectancy: 75
(male); 80 (female)
Infant mortality rate: 6 per
1,000 births
Population Geo. Cont…
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Japan is in stage four of the
Demographic Transition Model
Japan’s population is declining .14%
annually. This is a major concern.
70% of people live in urban areas
About %50 live in three major urban
areas: Nagoya, Tokyo, and Osaka.
• As a result, the cost of living is
high and housing is expensive
Japan is 98.5 percent ethnic Japanese
Immigration is very limited and push
factors rarely exist to cause Japanese
to emigrate
The Ainu, an indigenous group, live
mostly in Hokkaido
Cultural Geography
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Japanese society is group oriented.
Loyalty to the group and superiors
takes precedent over personal feeling
The Japanese feel an obligation to
return favors and gifts Imuyage.
The following characteristics are
admired in Japanese society: honor,
patience, respect and politeness is
extremely important
Uniformity in appearance is a Japanese
characteristic
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Businessmen wearing black pants, a white shirt,
and a tie are very common
Women wear dresses or slacks
In general students wear uniforms to school
Outside of school, youth wear the
latest American and European fashions
Traditional Japanese clothing such as
kimonos and yukatas are worn for
special occasions and at onsens
Cultural Geography Cont…
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Greetings
• Bowing is the traditional
Japanese greeting
• Lower bows = more
reverence
• Japanese will generally prefer
shaking hands with
Westerners
Last names including san are
utilized for first names
The use of first names is reserved
for family and friends
Exchanging business cares is very
common, cards are offered and
accepted with both hands.
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You must also read the card in the
person’s presence or it is
considered a sign of disrespect
Cultural Geo. Cont…
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Family Life
• Family is the foundation of Japanese
society
• A children’s actions is a reflection on the
family
• Traditionally the father is the head of
the household and the mother is the
head of the household
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Today women are nearly 50% of
the workforce
• Divorce and single parenthood are rare
compared to other countries. Spousal
compatibility and spending time
together are less important than in
other cultures
• Families generally have fewer than
three children
Picture of me and my host family at dinner.
Both parents worked at Canon since they
were eighteen. Most of the baby boom
generation did not attend college and
entered directly into the workforce
Cultural Geography Cont…
(Pictures of my Host Family)
Cultural Geography Cont…
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Visiting a Japanese Home
• One would remove shoes before
stepping into a home
• Slippers are often worn inside, but not
in rooms with tatami mats
• Guests are usually offered the most
comfortable seat and sleeping
arrangements
• During my home stay, I slept in my
host parent’s bedroom
• It is very important to provide a gifts
for the families you are staying with.
Many times they will not open it while
you are in the room.
• Food is the most common gift
• Japanese commonly bath and change
into pajamas before they have dinner
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Japanese style bathrooms include
a bathing room with a stool and a
toilet located in another room next
door
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The toilets are generally washlets
made by Toto
Toto Washlet
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Image: www.toto.com
Cultural Geography Cont…
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Dining Habitats
• It is considered bad manners to eat
while walking in public
• People eat at street stands rather than
walk
• A bowl is traditionally held at chest
level
• It is not polite to drink soup directly
from a bowl
• Chopsticks are traditionally used,
utensils are used for western meals
• The main meal is eaten in the evening
Food
• The diet consists largely of rice, fresh
vegetables, seafood, fruit, and small
portions of meat
• Sake and soy sauce
• Tea is usually part of every meal
• Fast food is becoming increasingly
popular (Starbucks, McDonalds,
Wendy’s, and KFC)
• Common Japanese food: miso soup,
noodles, sashimi, tofu, and pork.
Cultural Geography Cont…
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Entertainment and Leisure
• Baseball
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Dates back to 1934, the
current league of 12
teams was established in
1958
The Yomuri (Tokyo)
Giants are the Japanese
equivalent of the NY
Yankees
• Ryokan
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Traditional Japanese Inn
centered around hot
springs
Guests wear Yukatas, eat
traditional food, and
participate in communal
bathing
Cultural Geography Cont…
• Music
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Japan Pop, Hip Hop,
and Jazz are popular
American artists like
Michael Jackson are
also popular
It is often common
to see Traditional
Japanese folk
instruments paired
with popular rock
instruments
Cultural Geography Cont…
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Education
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Largely influenced by the US
occupation during 1945 - 1952
Mandatory and generally free
from age six to fiftteen
Math and Science are stressed in
the curriculum
Students often attend private
schools if they pass difficult exams
during kindergarten
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Universities are also associated
with elementary, middle and high
schools
High School students often attend
night school (juku) on weeknights
and weekends to study for college
entrance exams
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Students stop playing school
sports sophomore year to study
for entrance exams
Students study for years and cram
for months for the exams
Admittance and graduating from
the top schools usually insures
gaining a well paying job
Cultural Geography Cont…
(Language)
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Official language is Japanese
Written characters are related
to Chinese
Hiragana and Katakana are
the two common phonetic
alphabets
Romaji uses Roman letters
used for keyboards
It can be written vertically
from right to left or
horizontally from left to right
English is taught in all
secondary schools and is also
used in business
Common Greetings
• Ohayu – Hello
• Konichiwa – Good Day
• Konbanwa – Good Evening
Cultural Geography Cont..
(Religion)
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Most Japanese practice a
combination of Shintoism and
Buddhism
Shinto is based on ancient
mythology
• Stresses relationship to
nature and many gods
• Hands are washed at Shrines
as a cleansing ritual
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Many households observe
Shinto marriages and
Buddhist funerals
Shinto Shrines in homes are
common
• Mostly for respect of religious
tradition rather than
veneration
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One percent is Christian
Cultural Geography Cont…
(Religion)
Youth Culture
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The “i” generation is fully
engaged in Japanese culture
The high school students I
met were not familiar with
American athletes or music,
other than Michael Jackson
• Learning English was not a
priority for most students. My
host parents actually spoke
better English than their
children
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The Baby Boom generation
admired the prosperity of the
USA while the i generation
admires the prosperity of
Japan
Economic Geography
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Japan has one of the world's largest economies even though it has few
natural resources and must import most raw materials.
Japanese companies are listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE)
Japanese weddings can be elaborate and expensive. Marriage ceremonies
usually take place in hotels.
Largest economies event though it is a physically small country
12 percent of the land is suitable for cultivation
Japan imports about half of its food supply
Major local crops: fruit, tea, vegetables and rice
Economic Geography Cont…
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Japan is the leading exporter of
fish
Exports include: electronic
equipment, televisions, and
automobiles
Well known manufactures are:
Mitsubishi, Toyota, Toshiba,
Honda, and Sony
Toyota surpassed GM as the
world’s largest automaker in 2009
– “Toyota reported 8.97 million
sales in 2008, roughly 616,000
more than GM's 8.36 million
units” (Truck Trend)
Japan’s biggest trading partner is
the US – Cultural Diffusion occurs
with limited barriers
Their currency is the yen – one
dollar is currently worth 90.9865
JPY
Economic Geography Cont…
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Tourism
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6.1 million foreigners visited Japan in 2004
16.8 million Japanese traveled overseas (est.)
Tourism revenues = $11.3 billion (2005)
Popular Destinations
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Mt. Fuji, Lake Chuzenji, Kegon Falls, and Nikko National Park, and
Okinawa
Hokkaido – has excellent skiing in Northern Japan
Economic Geography Cont…
(Tourism)
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Mt. Fuji at almost
13,000 ft. is a very
popular tourist
destination
• It can be climbed from
station 5 (6000 ft) in a
total of 8-9 hours
roundtrip
• Most people opt to
reserve a space on one
of the huts located on
the route. Most people
awake at 3 am to hike
the summit for Sunrise
Mt. Fuji (A closer look)
Economic Geo Cont…
(View from Fuji San)
Economic Geo Cont…
(View from Fuji San)
Economic Geo Cont…
(View from Fuji San)
Economic Geo Cont…
(View from Fuji San)
Economic Geography Cont…
(Kegon Falls and Lake Chuzenji)
Economic Geography Cont…
(Kegon Falls)
Urban Geography
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Highly efficient mass
transportation system: mainly
trains, subways, and buses
Tokyo has many regional
cities within Tokyo: Shibuya,
Shinjuku, etc.
Cities are generally clean and
well managed
• Public smoking is illegal in
public
• Subways are very clean
• Sidewalks have arrows to
direct foot traffic
• Cars rarely honk
• Taxis are very clean and
you are only charged a
fare when it moves
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Tokyo Subway Map
Image: http://www.bento.com/pix/tokyosubway2008.jpg
Urban Geography Cont…
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Tokyo
• Includes the Meiji
Emperors Imperial
Palace
• The relocation of the
Emperors palace for
Kyoto to Tokyo (East of
Kyoto) is an excellent
example of
interregional migration
• Large number of
skyscrapers
• Two Baseball Stadiums
• Many museums
Urban Geography Cont…
(LaLaPort Tokyo Bay)
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LaLaPort Tokyo Bay is the first
mall built in Japan. La Port is a
god example of a Brownfield that
was redeveloped. It includes
shopping, restaurants, condos,
and a museum.
Shopping mostly takes place near
the home or at sections of the
city, which sell a particular good.
A naval yard once existed at the
site and it was redeveloped for
mixed use. Also it was the area
planned to host the Olympics in
Japan was awarded the most
recent bid
The metropolitan are of Tokyo is
837 square miles, the population
is 32 million about 1/10 of the
total pop.
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Image: http://toyosu.lalaport.jp/english/index.shtml
Urban Geography Cont..
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Shinkansen
• Bullet Trains- provide
quick and comfortable
travel between major
cities. Speed reach almost
200 mph.
• The rail system provides
access to all of Japan
• Traveling on a Bullet Train
is extremely comfortable.
Bathrooms and food is
available
• A rail pass purchased in
the US will provide you
with unlimited
transportation on JR Rail
lines for about $300 per
week
Works Cited
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Currency Calculator. Web. 20 Oct 2009. <http://www.xrates.com/calculator.html>.
"Japan." CultureGrams Online Edition. ProQuest, 2009. Web. 29 Oct 2009.
"Japan." Funk & Wagnalls. Web.
<http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=funk&AN=JA00
9600&site=ehost-live>.
Japan At A Glance. Tokyo: Kondansha International, 2001. Print.
"Team and League Information." Japan Ball. Web. 20 Oct 2009.
<http://www.japanball.com/teams.htm>.
LaLaPort Tokyo Bay. Web. 20 Oct 2009.
<http://tokyobay.lalaport.net/lala_eng/>.
Skiing Hokaido. Web. 20 Oct 2009. <http://www.skiinghokkaido.com/resort/index.html>.
All images were taken by Kieran McLaughlin unless otherwise noted