1. What do you notice about Japan from this Google Earth image?

2. What do you notice most about Japan from this map?

3. The Impact of Physical Geography on Culture

4. Japan is much smaller than the United States.

5. Japan is slightly smaller than California, but it has almost 3 x as many people. Japan 128 million California 38 million

6. Forested mountains cover over 65% of the land.

7. What do you notice when you compare these two maps?

8. What unique challenges do you think Japan faces in dealing with such a high population density?

9. How might high population density and limited land affect Japan’s:
transportation
agriculture
architecture

10. Mass transportation moves large numbers of people.
They have many subways. . .

11. . . .and busses. http://www.flickr.com/photos/26217373@N00/1489025344/

12. Even then, they have lots of cars on the roads.

13. And they have creative ways to
provide parking spaces.

14. J.Hall, Tokyo, 12 July 2010

15. J.Hall, Kyoto, 16 July 2010

16. They even have bicycle parking lots.
Bicycles are very popular, since they are easy to maneuver on crowded streets.
They even have bicycle parking lots.
 This one is at a subway station.

17. J.Hall, Kyoto, 17 July 2010

18. They are also very cautious about spreading germs
They are also very cautious about spreading germs. If you’re sick, you’re expected to wear a mask.
J.Hall, Tokyo, 10 July 2011

19. J.Hall, Tokyo, 12 July 2010

20. J.Hall, Kyoto, 17 July 2010
Convenience Store

21. Agriculture is important in Japan.
But often fields are on mountainsides.

22. Stair-steps were cut into the mountainsides years ago to allow terraced fields.

23. architecture
Limited land means land is very expensive. So most people don’t have yards.

24. Which is Oklahoma City? Which is Osaka, Japan?

25. Why do you suppose so many Japanese homes have limited amounts of furniture?
This is a main room. It may be used as a living room, dining room, and bedroom.

26. Traditional style hotel in Nara, Japan
J.Hall, Nara, 15 July 2010

27. Why is a “futon” bed a good choice for a small home?
NOTE: It folds up to make more floor space if needed.

28. U.S: 721 square feet of living space per person
U.S: 721 square feet of living space per person
(U.S.Department of Energy, )
Japan: 170 square feet Geography Alive! (Palo Alto, California: Teachers’ Curriculum Institute), 2006, p.447

29. As in big cities around the world, the Japanese build to get more use out of limited land.UP

30. A “capsule hotel”! Each capsule is a 1-person room.

31. They even have TVs! Sweet dreams. . .
Sweet dreams. . .

32. http://www. traveladdicts. connectfree. co

33. In 1994, Japan opened Kansai International Airport in Osaka Bay
In 1994, Japan opened Kansai International Airport in Osaka Bay. It is built on an artificial island.
Kansai International Airport (KIX) is the world’s first ocean airport, built on a landfill island in Osaka Bay, Japan. Opened in 1994, KIX was a modern engineering marvel, built entirely as an artificial island. Because the site is built upon compacted fill, it suffers from subsidence, sinking 2-4 centimeters per year.

34. The first built a “sea wall” and then filled it in using dirt from 3 nearby mountains.

36. It is sinking 2-3 centimeters per year.