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OVERVIEW
Small Farms, Big Cities - Northern Japan and Tokyo
This
video program features two case studies on Japan: Northern
Japan: Protecting the Harvest and Tokyo:
Anatomy of a Mega-City.
Viewed
together, the case studies highlight a modern paradox
in Japan, the coexistence of both the mega-city of Tokyo
and small-scale agriculture. A farmer's story in the
first case study illustrates climatic conditions in
Tohoku, or Northeast Japan, and the influence of natural
hazards upon agricultural productivity. In the second
case study, a commuter from Saitama provides insight
into the continued growth of one of the world's largest
metropolitan areas.
As
shown in Northern Japan: Protecting the Harvest,
rice, the staple of the Japanese diet, has played a
critical role throughout history in the culture as well
as the contemporary politics and economy of Japan. The
first case study illustrates wet-rice production on
the northeastern edge of the main island of Honshu.
In this marginal area, winter finally ends in May and
signals the time to transplant rice plants that have
been forced to sprout in hot houses. The seedlings grow
in fields of standing water, exposed to seasonal weather
changes. To overcome the adverse climatic factors affecting
rice production, a farmer requires advanced technology
(for agricultural machinery and for predicting weather
patterns) as well as intensive labor.
A
farmer from the village of Rokunohe manages his crop
based upon seasonal conditions, irrigation and drainage
needs, transplantation, and harvest. The farmer's worst
fear in northeastern Japan is yamase, a dense fog accompanied
by cold, east winds that can cause heavy damage to rice
crops. The program shows the atmospheric conditions
responsible for creating this adverse weather and illustrates
how modern research is aiding agriculture in this part
of Japan. The final section of the case study provides
insight into Japanese agriculture as the labor force
declines in this sector. Instead of farming, many residents
are taking advantage of higher-paying opportunities
now available in rural areas.
Updates
to this case study include further discussion of the
interaction of agricultural geography and economic geography,
interviews with geographer Dr. Gil Latz, and insight
into the future of rice farming in Japan.
Tokyo:
Anatomy of a Mega-City reviews how the transportation
system has contributed to urban growth in Tokyo and
the implications for the future. With a metropolitan
population of over 30 million, Tokyo functions well
despite its size in part because of the efficient transportation
system. To show the city's immense transportation infrastructure,
the case study examines Otemachi, the largest subway
station in Tokyo. The station serves commuters who travel
to work in Tokyo from outlying areas because of high
land costs and a lack of affordable housing in the city.
With over one million people working in the area of
the station, most of them commuters, the Otemachi area
has two populations - daytime and nighttime.
Tokyo's
role in Japan is unique, serving as Japan's capital
and largest city. With one out of four Japanese residing
there, most of Japan's economic, political, and legal
activities are concentrated within its metropolitan
borders. Despite the city's large population, it continues
to grow and prosper. This expansion is only able to
take place because it is supported by a comprehensive
transportation network. Covering a land area only slightly
larger than Chicago, the city functions with three times
Chicago's population density. Tokyo's role is as one
of the great cities of the world, a key player in the
world economy, and a forerunner in the process of globalization.
Updates to this case study include new satellite maps
of the Tokyo metropolitan area and the continuing megalopolis
to the south and west, discussion of the effects of
Japan's economic stagnation and the Asian economic crisis
of 1997, and interviews with geographer Dr. Jonathan
Taylor.
Video
Key Words
Northern
Japan
- Yamase
- Impact
of weather patterns on agriculture
- Interaction
of agricultural geography and economic geography
- Changing
demographics
Tokyo
- Megalopolis
- Public
Transit
- Edge
Cities
- Suburban
Sprawl
- Pacific
Rim
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