This study examined the characteristics of contemporary amenity migration by analyzing the relationship between the values, lifestyles, and migratory behavior of working-age migrants to the town of Karuizawa and the surrounding new vacation home area in Japan. Karuizawa has experienced an increase in the number of migrants from the Tokyo area since the opening of Karuizawa Station on the Hokuriku Shinkansen line. The population growth is particularly significant in the Oiwake district, a new vacation home area in the western part of the town. Working-age migrants to the Oiwake district were surveyed by the author through snowball sampling and were engaged in white-collar jobs, with some commuting by Shinkansen and some teleworking. They moved out of the Tokyo area due to doubts about the child-rearing and educational environment as well as their work and lifestyle preferences. They chose Karuizawa and the surrounding area as a destination due to convenient transport links and good living environment. They also chose the Oiwake district as their place of residence because of its attractive natural environment, proximity to schools and train stations, low land prices, and convenience of living. Their quality of life improved after migration to Karuizawa through the skillful utilization of the various amenities in Karuizawa and the surrounding area.
Fourteen years after the Great East Japan Earthquake, the coastal fishing industry in Sanriku has returned to its pre-disaster state. This paper reports on changes in the management and maintenance of family-run businesses before and after the earthquake, using the Ishinomaki-Toubu Fisheries Cooperative Association (FCA) in the Oshika Peninsula of Miyagi Prefecture as a case study. Before the earthquake, in the Ishinomaki-Toubu FCA, a family-run business combining oyster farming and boat fisheries was the foundation of the business, and there were some successors. However, after the earthquake, Wakame seaweed farming was introduced, and the type of fishery in the family business changed. In terms of management outcomes, regarding the individual management changes in the family business units, excluding those fishery households that have retired or downsized because of aging, the sales of fishery households increased compared with before the earthquake. Wakame seaweed farming has been actively introduced by households with successors. Nevertheless, the changes in the management of family businesses after the earthquake were not uniform but differed depending on factors such as the labor force and age composition of each household. Finally, the Miyagi Prefectural FCA, which oversees the Ishinomaki-Toubu FCA, is taking a new direction in maintaining family business entities, including allowing commuting fishers.
This study examines the impact of COVID-19 on middlemen involved in farmed shrimp collection in Dam Doi district, Ca Mau province, Vietnam. The 10 middlemen surveyed collected shrimp within their home commune, Dam Doi district, or Ca Mau province. In 2020 and 2021, almost all of them experienced a decline in the quantity of shrimp collected, frequency of collection trips, and their annual income compared to 2019. We identify three processes behind these changes. First, the collection quantity and annual income declined because of slowed collection activities caused by movement restrictions within the same geographical areas in which middlemen usually operate. Second, middlemen voluntarily refrained from collecting shrimp during movement restrictions outside their collection areas. Third, although the collection frequency stayed the same, customer demand during movement restrictions decreased. In conclusion, middlemen in Dam Doi district were unable to collect enough shrimp to maintain their annual income, with the causes varying according to the degree of overlap between their collection areas and movement restrictions.
This introductory review offers a brief overview of the progress in Japanese fishery geography by examining selected literatures as well as key geographical characteristics of Japanese fishery areas by outlining a modern history and the recent trends in such areas. Especially for the recent trends, this study focuses on two reorganizations of the economic and social sides, the consolidation of Fisheries Cooperative Associations (FCAs, gyogyo kyodo kumiai) and the the historical backgrounds and examples of the Hirado region in northwestern Kyushu. By understanding the spatial relationships between two such reorganized systems for livelihood and self-government, this review identifies the future prospects for the geographical study of fishery areas. Researchers should consider such recent regional groups as FCAs and RMOs on a middlescale in addition to fishery villages as conventional basic units on a small-scale in local societies, which are experiencing various large-scale mergers due to Japan's aging and drastically declining population.
Greece poses challenges to participatory fishery governance in Europe, as Greek fishers are known for their independent nature and mistrust of the authorities. However, little attention has been paid to evidence of fishers' collectivity in local fishery governance in certain parts of Greece, which is important for developing effective fishery governance systems. Fish exploitation in the Messolonghi-Aitoliko Lagoon in Western Greece depends on the ivari (plural ivaria), a barrier-trap fishery operated by fishers' cooperatives with fishing rights assigned by the authorities. To examine the communal aspect of Greek fishers, this study demonstrates how local fishers in the lagoon organize themselves as cooperatives and how they collectively engage in the ivari fishery within the framework of a rights-based governance system. Economic productivity disparities between the cooperatives are major factors for their "good" or "bad" management perceived by the authorities. However, this study revealed that differences in social formation and shared interests also affect cooperative management strategies. The social connections of individual fishers shape the multiple attributes of cooperatives as family-run, fellowship-based, or entrepreneurship-oriented, which influences how they commit themselves to the ivari fishery. Fishers' participation in collective action is supported by their social relationships, their own consent, and the freedom to join or leave cooperatives at their own discretion. The dynamics of management strategies for securing ivari rights represent how Greek fishers not only pursue their interests collectively among members but also competitively between cooperatives within the rights-based governance system.
This paper reviews studies on rural village societies in Japan to present perspectives for analyzing the relationship between fisheries governance and patriarchy. To illustrate these perspectives in relation to empirical reality, this study outlines institutional changes in village organizations, households, and fisheries governance, based on archival materials and interviews conducted in a fishing village in Japan's northeastern region. Particular attention is given to the period of modernization and expansion of Japan's fisheries, when significant transformations occurred in fisheries systems and productive capacity. From this review, we present three perspectives to be examined in empirical research: (1) the relationship between the patriarchal household and the village in the granting and use of exclusive fishing rights; (2) women's economic independence and relative value of their labor within the household and the village; and (3) the relationship between patriarchal authority and horizontal organization within the village. In the case study, we demonstrated how women assumed roles in resource management, while also highlighting the spatial changes in fishery governance, fishing grounds, and social organization. While political ecology has long employed the concept of patriarchy as a key analytical lens, it has often lacked empirical grounding in regional diversity. In contrast, rural studies in Japan offer valuable insights in this context. In particular, the spatial analysis presented in this paper makes a meaningful contribution to advancing geographical research on gender-inclusive fisheries governance.
This study examines the consultative function of local autonomous organizations in Japan, focusing on the Community Promotion Councils (CPCs) in Rikuzentakata City, Iwate Prefecture. Since 2019, Rikuzentakata City has implemented a lump-sum type grant program for local communities, providing each of its 11 districts with up to five million yen annually to promote community development. The research analyzes how these CPCs-established in 1980, basically based on former towns and villages-make decisions regarding the use of grants, particularly in coordination with neighborhood associations. Drawing on interview survey results, and documents of local autonomous organizations and local governments, the study reveals that, when the community councils decide how to use the grants, projects are considered at the district level, but are coordinated so that each neighborhood in the district can benefit from the grants fairly. The method of ensuring fairness within a district was not uniform, with some districts trying to distribute the grants equally to each neighborhood association each year and others balancing the grants over the medium term or in a more comprehensive manner. These consultative processes highlight both responsive and accountable governance and the importance of micro-level communities in supporting larger-scale community governance. The study concludes that CPCs in Rikuzentakata embody elements of both "neighborhood government" and "neighborhood partnership" as typified by the community governance models.
Recent challenges in small-scale fisheries necessitate a critical reassessment of coastal zone governance. In this context, the marine tourism sector has emerged as a significant area of interest, prompting coastal fishing communities and other stakeholders to explore avenues for collaborative management. However, integrating these sectors often leads to conflicts, particularly between the fisheries and tourism sectors. This study examines the tension between coastal tourism and small-scale fisheries, with a focus on dolphin tourism conflicts on Notojima Island, north-central Japan. It highlights the ecological characteristics of wild dolphins that drive tourism development and contribute to emerging conflicts. Using stakeholder interviews, direct observations, and analysis of local newspaper content (2001-2019), this study chronicles the evolution of dolphin tourism through four distinct phases: discovery, development, disturbance, and reorganization. The findings reveal spatial and social conflicts between dolphin tourism and small-scale fisheries, exacerbated by mismatches in operational scales and the ecological behaviors of dolphins. Efforts have been made to mitigate these conflicts by realigning spatial, social, and institutional scales, while carefully considering the ecological characteristics of dolphins. Establishing adaptive institutions and organizations is central to resolving these conflicts and fostering cooperation between the tourism industry and small-scale fisheries. These entities should be capable of responding flexibly to the constantly changing conditions of target resources, facilitating a balanced approach to economic development and environmental management within the coastal zones.
In the modern era, the western coast of Hokkaido has been home to numerous herring fishery zones that rely heavily on fishing. Floating fish such as herring contribute to significant fluctuations in resources, resulting in varying catch volumes depending on the region. A comprehensive understanding of Hokkaido's herring fishery remains elusive because of the substantial variation in catch volume and the significant number of fishers involved. This study examined three regions with diverse fluctuations in herring catch to compare and analyze changes in the number of stationary fishing rights for several fish species, including herring. This approach considers variations in herring catch volumes. The Licensed Fishing Register, held by the Archives of Hokkaido, serves as a historical resource, as it includes information about stationary fishing rights holders from 1902 to 1951 and provides reasons for ownership changes. It also provides insights into long-term fluctuations in stationary fishing rights. Overlaying the trends in herring catch volumes with changes in the acquisition of fishing rights for herring and other fish species across the three regions reveals a shift in the fishing system. This transition was marked by a shift from focusing on herring fisheries to gradually integrating other species in response to fluctuations in herring catch volumes. Consequently, this study sheds light on the substantial impact of herring fisheries on the acquisition of fishing rights along with regional variations in the timing of the surge in non-herring fisheries and the degree of cooperative effort among herring fishers.
Giant Japanese horse chestnut (Aesculus turbinata Blume) stands formed in the mountain forests in Japan, and the environmental and social factors influencing the formation of such stands on common land were investigated in this study, which examined the interactions between physical conditions and local forest use. Additionally, this study aimed to identify the similarities and differences in the factors influencing giant A. turbinata forest formation between the common land area examined in this study and private land areas reported in previous studies in the Kutsuki region, Takashima City, Shiga Prefecture, Japan. In terms of the natural environment, this study revealed that the forest tended to grow in the uppermost reaches of the valley and at higher elevations than at the bottom of the valley. This observation indicates that the forest studied here was similar to that in previous studies in terms of the frequency and scale of disturbance, such as landslides and other landform changes, which potentially occur once every several hundred years, even in different valleys. Moreover, the findings revealed the importance of A. turbinata nuts as a local food resource and social factor because the stands of giant A. turbinata trees on common land have been protected from logging pressure and thus have persisted. A common characteristic of the "loose" management of A. turbinata trees was identified in this case study of common land and the other cases of private lands in previous studies.
This study explores the influence of international conservation schemes on wetland management in a developing country. Using Tram Chim National Park (TCNP) in Vietnam as a case study, it employs a mixed-method approach, including in-depth interviews with ten local conservation managers and semi-structured interviews with 30 community members. Research results have shown that since 2003, international conservation schemes have catalyzed reshaping Vietnam's wetland management policies, enhancing community engagement and contributing to wetland conservation and sustainable utilization. The wetland management policies in Vietnam have transitioned from state-based to co-management involving local communities. However, these policy-level transformations have not effectively translated into practical co-management or Wise Use practices. The Resource Use Groups (RUGs), conceived as part of co-management, yielded only transient gains in augmenting community participation in TCNP wetland management. Tourism development as a manifestation of Wise Use practices has demonstrated only partial efficacy, as the beneficiaries of local tourism did not include impoverished individuals who relied on wetland resources. Despite the long-standing recognition of the role of local communities in wetland conservation due to international schemes and national policies, the execution of wetland management in the TCNP has remained entrenched in conservation without actively encouraging community participation in managing wetland resources. Based on these findings, this study concludes that without a fundamental shift in internal paradigms within the host country, international conservation endeavors can only generate transient co-management systems and incomplete Wise Use practices in developing countries such as Vietnam.
Recently, there has been a worldwide interest in local people's engagement in cultural heritage conservation. However, previous research has not yet profoundly examined how the symbolic values, e.g., Sense of Place (SoP) and attitude, held by local people toward cultural heritage sites affect their behavioral intentions toward the conservation of these sites, especially in the Middle East and North Africa. The present study fills in this gap through an empirical examination of local people's attitude as a mediator of the roles of SoP in behavioral intentions toward two historic buildings at the Al-Khalifa quarter in Historic Cairo, which gain the local people's special interest in their conservation. Methods included direct observation, review of related literature and conservation reports, semi-structured interviews with local people, officials and managers, and 200+ collected questionnaires from a sample of local people on the two historic buildings. The data analysis revealed that there is a case in which inserting attitude as a mediator variable substantially improves the prediction of people's behavioral intentions. Accordingly, the study concluded that testing the mediation of attitude is highly recommended when examining the SoP-behavioral intentions roles, as it may improve the prediction of behavioral intentions under certain conditions. This conclusion could be supported by further examination of several historic buildings with similar characteristics and uses. The study suggests using carefully designed questionnaires to avoid the possible bias that might occur because of the order in which the questions and rating values are listed. In general, this study can guide the official stakeholders on how to maintain sustainable conservation of cultural heritage sites through understanding how the local people perceive and react to these sites.
To understand the roles of host foreigners in Japanese ski resorts, whose number is increasing with the development of international tourism, this study analyzed the foreigners' business activities and the transformation of the resort town of Hakuba, Nagano Prefecture. Furthermore, the roles of host foreigners are characterized in relation to Japanese actors via the structure of change in actor composition in the resort development process. Host foreigners mainly operate accommodation services but significantly expand their business operations into other types of ventures. They add attractive add-on services during foreign skiers' stays and increase the number of accommodations and restaurant facilities in the resort town. They play an important role in maintaining and keeping up with the latest trends in Japanese ski resorts to consistently attract customers, while traditional Japanese actors struggle to renew and modify their services due to financial constraints and the decline in ski tourism. Host foreigners' diverse business activities and their relationships with Japanese actors differ depending on when they started their businesses. International tourism in Japan developed later than in Western countries; therefore, many host foreigners are replacing Japanese actors in ski resorts and other types of destinations. The analysis of the change in actor composition contributes to an improved understanding of the unique structural transformation of Japanese destinations.
This study examines a world music event hosted in Fukuno, Nanto City, Toyama Prefecture to illuminate the local assimilation process of foreign music, focusing on the relationship between music and the community. Through interviews with various stakeholders, I demonstrate that the primary objective of the event was not solely to enjoy the music, but rather to employ music as a tool for revitalizing the community. Consequently, music in Fukuno became linked to local components and embraced as regional music. Through this assimilation process, three pivotal moments emerged. The first was the establishment of a citizen orchestra in 1995, formed predominantly by local residents. This led to the emergence of world music experts in the community and deepened residents' music comprehension. Subsequently, since 1999, local temples and shopping centers have served as event venues, actively generating opportunities for local residents to engage with music. The most influential initiative was a parade formation in 2008. The parade encompassed not only world music-related groups, but also local schoolchildren and indigenous festivalgoers, expanding the parade's audience to residents who previously had less interest in world music. Moreover, the inclusion of Fukuno's indigenous music in the event played an essential role in residents' perception of the occasion as Fukuno's unique world music event.
This study delves into community participation and retention in religious facilities. And it also analyzes the significance of these roles. It focuses on the interplay between religious activities in Protestant churches and the everyday lives of Japanese migrants in the Gyeonggi region of the Republic of Korea (ROK). Japanese migrants who attended church were categorized into two types: "lifestyle migrants" and "international students." In particular, the "lifestyle migrants" include many international marriage migrants. Their participation in religious communities was shaped by both problems in their everyday lives and religious backgrounds. Most "lifestyle migrants" attended church for the first time in the ROK, considering it a place to build social relationships and communicate with fellow Japanese migrants during their early stages of migration. Conversely, most "international students" had previous church experience in Japan before migrating, perceiving church activities as an extension of their religious engagements prior to migrating to the ROK. Religious activities influence the social capital and ethnic identity of Japanese migrants. And the development of the religious communities among Japanese migrants in the Gyeonggi region is not only driven by church proselytizing efforts, but also influenced by various challenges arising from changes or divergences in the migration process, residential trends, and the aspirations and difficulties of local community activities. These findings elucidate the impact of religious activities on individual migrants, and also highlight the pivotal role of religion in migration studies and geography.
Using data at 724 stations for 12 years (2010-2021) in Japan, the climatological characteristics of diurnal variation in surface wind speed were examined. It was found that wind speed reached a maximum in early afternoon at most sites in all seasons. Even the 99.9th percentile winds have a weak peak in early afternoon as an average over all stations. In the spatial distribution, the amplitude and phase of the first harmonics of wind speed are positively correlated with those of temperature, but have larger variabilities among stations than those of temperature. The features of the diurnal variation are dependent on geographical factors such as the percentage of water surface, topographic convexity, and population density, with smaller amplitudes and earlier phases at coastal sites and later phases at urban sites. Some inland stations have an exceptionally high nighttime wind speed that is comparable to the daytime wind speed, apparently because of dominant mountain breezes.
The relationship between summer mortality and mean temperature in Japan was analyzed using monthly data from 1951 to 2020. During this period, the mortality rate decreased greatly and the elderly population has largely increased in Japan. A positive correlation between mortality rate and temperature was detected for all the analysis periods except for a highly disturbed feature before 1970, whereas the range of age-adjusted mortality variation per 1 degrees C temperature anomaly has decreased by a factor of 5-10, indicating that the sensitivity of mortality to temperature has weakened over time. However, the mortality rate for deaths directly caused by heat decreased from the 1950s to the 1980s and then increased, showing a V-shaped change over the entire analysis period.
Migrants in Rural Japan: Between Agency and Anomie in a Post-growth Society, is thematically divided into seven main chapters and explores migrants' narratives and the reasons for their temporary or long-term mobility between urban and rural Japan.Klien states that these migrants participate in "lifestyle mobility", a concept developed by Cohen et al. (2015) to examine the intersection between migration, mobility and travel by destabilising the clear-cut division between "home and away" and "work and leisure".In doing so, Klien extends the current understanding of the lifestyle mobilities of Japanese urban migrants in rural regions and how their professional skills and networks gained in metropolises such as Tokyo contribute to the revitalisation of rural communities.In terms of her methodology, between 2009 and 2017, Klien conducted multisite ethnography and interviews with 118 research participants in the Japanese prefectures of Iwate, Miyagi, Niigata, Shimane, Tokushima and Hokkaido.The author's extensive research on rural Japan provides critical and timely insights into an evolving form of urban-rural mobility in a post-growth society.Chapter 1 uses the concept of lifestyle mobility to highlight that "the line between what is work, what is networking, and what is leisure" (p.13) has become increasingly ambiguous in rural Japan.The chapter does not simply present the movement of Japanese urbanites into rural Japan as counterurbanisation or the rejection of urban life, but as a negotiation between an urban lifestyle and rural communities.For instance, Klien provides the example of a female Japanese migrant who succeeded in obtaining the benefits of both rural and urban life through the expansion of urban-rural lifestyle mobility.The migrant enjoys the best of both worlds: surfing, yoga and other outdoor activities on a remote island and the ability to purchase fashionable items online and regularly travel to urban areas to visit high-end restaurants.However, not all female migrants can comfortably obtain this perfect urban-rural balance.Chapter 2 explores gender roles in contemporary rural Japan by examining five female urban migrants and their differing ways of living in and belonging to rural Japan.These migrants' mobility offers them new opportunities to embrace entrepreneurial and innovative lifestyles.In contrast to the traditional and stereotyped perception of female urbanites "moving for marriage" to obediently serve their husbands (ryosai-kenbo), the chapter discusses how these women negotiate, resist and challenge these dominant perceptions.Klien summarises that these women draw upon their entrepreneurial skills and transnational backgrounds to reconcile their career ambitions with these dominant societal expectations.Chapter 3 discusses three urban migrants and their experimental lifestyle in Japan's post-growth society.The chapter highlights that each migrant functions differently in their rural surroundings.
