Section 1, Urban Studies | Session 9
Carolin Funck, Hiroshima University
Japan's domestic tourism market has led a sheltered life with culturally distinct, well organized tourism patterns and little involvement from outside, be it tourists or foreign capital. Only when the Yen started to rise in the mid 80s, travel to foreign countries became popular and globalisation of the market set in. This paper will examine how domestic tourism destinations in Japan adapt to international tourism. The number of outbound tourists from Japan rose in 20 years from 4 mio in 1980 to 17.8 mio (2000). This meant increasing competition for domestic destinations, which were essentially left with the short trip segment of the market. The number of inbound tourists also increased more than four times during the same period, based on the growing economies of nearby Asian countries, but is still only about one forth of outbound tourists. In 2002, the government decided to promote the aim of doubling inbound tourist numbers until the year 2010. This declaration has set off activities in many destinations around the country that hope for foreign visitors to fill the gap left by Japanese tourists traveling abroad. Foreign capital has also become involved in Japanese resort facilities. Tourism as a tool for local and regional development is increasingly influenced by global and international factors. Examples from destination areas will be introduced to consider character and forms of this influence.
Brian Harrisson, Chuo university
Although particulates have long been known to play a significant role in air pollution, concern over small particulate matter has increased greatly in recent years. This is due to the realization that the adverse health effects of the very fine particles emitted in diesel exhausts may be far greater than previously believed. These adverse health effects disproportionately affect the vulnerable groups in society such as the elderly. Indeed, the Environmental Protection Agency in the United States has estimated that tens of thousands of elderly people die prematurely each year due to exposure to ambient levels of fine particles; such exposure has also been blamed for thousands of admissions to hospital. This clearly has serious health and economic implications for Japan and her rapidly aging society.
In the US and Europe, major efforts have been made in the last decade to clarify the degree of harm caused by particulate matter and to mitigate the situation, which has led to the introduction of increasingly strict regulatory standards. In Japan, however, there seemed to be a general lack of awareness of the problems posed by particulate matter until strict new standards for the Tokyo metropolitan area were proposed by the governor of Tokyo, Ishihara Shintaro, a person not generally regarded as an environmentalist. The first stage of the regulations was implemented on October 1st 2003 despite the opposition of the national government and industry. There were also varying degrees of opposition from the governments of surrounding prefectures. Nevertheless, even though the initial phase of regulations applied only to part of the Kanto area, and although the number of personnel assigned to enforcement was relatively small, the particulate matter levels in Tokyo fell by 30% within one month.
This presentation will outline the mechanism by which particulate matter acts, the reasons for the concern over particulate matter, and possible countermeasures; it will explain the recent events in Japan, and consider what may happen in the future.
Hiroko Amemiya, University of Rennes 2, France
The proposal will draw from a research programme I am organising with colleagues specialised in different disciplines and working in France and in Japan . This is a comparative study between Brittany ( France ) and Japan concerning the networks of direct sales for local products from agriculture and cattle farming with a perspective to recreate a local dynamic.
This dynamic addresses the whole local community and concerns the aged population in both sides of rural producers and city-dwellers consumers.
1) Many aged people are still active in farming in Japan and their activities constitute one of the most important support to keep the cultivation of rice in many places.
2) The life and dynamics of local shopkeepers and direct sales is mainly encouraged by the presence of aged people less attracted by supermarkets and their demands for a safe and secure food at proximity of their homes is an important support to the organisation of direct sales of organic products.