Recent Studies on Recreational Geography in Japan
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Geographical Review of Japan Vol. 61(Ser. B), No. 1, 141-149, 1988 Recent Studies on Recreational Geography in Japan Hldeya ISHII* and Shlgeru SHIRASAKA** The study examines recent geographical studies on recreation and tourism to identify future task. After reviewing the history and characteristics of Japanese recreation and tourism, geographical works can be categorized into studies of spatial organization, studies of landscape formation, and other studies (landscape evaluation and the perception of recreational resources). In the field of spatial organization, geographers have identified recreational spaces centered on a city and complex recreational regions composed of different types of resorts. It is important in Japan, however, to develop further the study of urban recreation to examine recreational space. The field of landscape formation has accumulated more studies than that of spatial organization. The majority of previous studies, however, are preoccupied with hot spring and minshuku settlements and their perspective is economically oriented. Geographers can expand their scope into social or cultural geography and into environmental problems. Studies of environmental evaluation and recreational resources perception are in their early stages. On the whole, recreational geography in Japan is behind that of other developed countries in accepting such contemporary techniques as quantitative methods and environmental perception. The development of recreation and tourism in Japan, how ever, will increase the demand of geographical researches. I. Introduction II. Characteristics of Japanese Recreation and Tourism Increasing mobility and leisure time have devel oped recreational activities into a booming busi Rapid development of recreational activities has ness in modern industrial societies. Like other led to an increase in geographical studies in differ human activities, recreation has its geographical ent parts of the world. Reviews of these studies in expressions. People demand space, create new the Western world have demonstrated distinct landscapes, and transform space into a variety of research trends by countries, partly because of functional organizations. The geographer's task different leisure activities. This section, there is to analyse the pattern and process of these spa fore, summarizes some characteristics of Japanese tial organization. This study reviews recent geo recreational activities. graphical studies on recreation and tourism by Some Japanese and foreign geographers have Japanese geographers to identify unsolved fields of described these characteristics. In the Interna investigation. tional Geographical Congress of 1980, YAMAMURA Some geographers have already reviewed Japa and ISBII(1982), and the above-mentioned study of nese recreational geography. In 1976, AOKIand TAKEUCHI(1984) illustrated the distinctiveness of YAMAMURAdiscussed previous studies by Japanese Japanese recreational activities. In 1980, SCHOLLER geographers. In the same year, YAMAMURApub in West Germany reported Japanese recreational lished a brief review in the English language. In behaviour from a Westerner's viewpoint. In this 1984, TAKEUCHImade a similar report in Geo report on Japanese tourism, SCHOLLERShowed such Journal. This present study focuses on the recrea characteristically Japanese phenomena as short tional studies of the post-war period, particularly term group tours, the custom of giving money to the last decade, with reference to these previous those who travel, and the accompanied duty to studies. buy a souvenir. This present study occasionally refers to these previous studies. Although some forms of recreational activities * Institute of History and Anthropology , University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba-shi, Ibaraki 305 Japan. ** Department of Geography , Tokyo Gakugei University, Koganei-shi, Tokyo 184 Japan. 142 H. ISHII, S. SHIRASAKA probably began with the beginning of mankind, of West Germans. Japanese resorts, therefore, are modern recreation is commonly regarded as a pro favourably located proximate to big cities. duct of urban societies after the Industrial Revo Secondly, the majority of these tours are organ lution. It is more appropriate for geographers, ized for groups of employees or community however, to realize that leisure gained its geogra members to hurriedly visit hot springs or historic phical significance when it began to create its places. According to a survey of the Japan Tour substantial landscape and genre de vie. From this ism Association, it was only in the late 1970s that standpoint, the origin of Japanese recreational family or individual tours outnumbered group activities dates as far back as the early eighteenth trips. Thirdly, hot spring still attract 30 per cent century (the middle Edo era) before the Industrial of all tourists, although leisure is growing more Revolution (SuzuKi, 1967). This period was cha varied among younger generations. Large resorts, racterized by a stabilized government, public therefore, have been developed around hot peace, development of a cash economy, and springs. Fourthly, the majority of tours are con nationally improved road network system. People ducted in the limited vacation periods of early began to travel frequently. They established May, middle August, and the period between late mutual cash-raising community organizations December and early January. Famous resorts are (kou) to visit distant well-known Shinto shrines exceedingly crowded in these periods. and Buddhist temples. People also visited Kyoto This uniformity and seasonality of tourism has and other historic places en route to these temples induced the development of alternative recrea and shrines. Others began to visit hot springs for tional facilities in urban areas. Some examples, as physical healing. Thus, religious-recreational TAKEUCHI(1984) has shown, include indoor towns appeared in front of famous temples or amusement complexes and golf practicing fields. shrines, and around hot spring. Since 1980, however, the increasing demand for In the late nineteenth century after the Meiji shorter working hours and a five-working-days Restoration of 1868, similar recreational activities system is gradually changing government policy. constantly developed during the Industrial Revo Growing leisure time, the popularization of auto lution. At the turn of the century, elites began to mobiles, and the development of the highway sys accept the custom of summering and wintering. tem will expand resort locations, give more va Swimming and skiing were added to the variety riety to leisure activities and will make tourism of recreational activities. National Parks were an important social phenomenon. established in the 1930s. The Ministry of Rail ways (Tetsudo-sho) actively developed transporta III. The Development of Recreational tion networks and the Japan travel Bureau ener Geography getically advertised recreation. By 1955, Japan had recovered her economic The geography of recreation and tourism in standard to that of before World War II. Her rapid Japan is behind both that in other developed coun economic growth followed this reconstruction tries and other fields of Japanese geography. AOKI period, especially after 1960. Leisure activities and YAMAMURA(1976) indicate the preoccupation of were popularized among every class of people. settlement studies and TAKEUCHI(1984) shows the Some traditional characteristics, however, still economic orientation of the studies. The lack of remain today. Firstly, overnight trips do not usu comprehensive investigation is due not only to few ally extend to several days due to insufficient statistics, few scholars, and traditional values holidays. According to a survey of Japan Tourism that regard leisure as a sin, but also to some tradi Association, 56 per cent of overnight trips were tional characteristics of recreational activities just for one night and 24 per cent were for two previously mentioned. nights in 1980. Only 3.9 per cent of the trips Geographical studies of Japanese tourism first extended to six or more nights. Although long appeared in the 1920s, when the nationwide rail term tours and travelling abroad have recently road network was completed and recreational been increased, the length of tours by the Japanese activities were widely accepted (AOKI and is still far behind that of the Europeans, especially YAMAMURA,1976). These studies were mainly des Recreational Geography 143 criptions of hot spring resorts. facilities, number of visitors, and landscapes From 1930 to the early 1940s, recreational stu among the four zones. TAKAHASHIand TAKABAYASHI dies dealt not only with hot spring resorts, but (1978) studied social aspects and recreational also with religious settlements, settlements for zones of the people in Hamamatsu, a mid-size city mountain climbers, and with swimming beaches. in Shizuoka Prefecture. They reported that people These studies, however, merely touched upon travelled as far as 20 kilometers one way for a recreation and tourism as a part of settlement or weekend trip (one-hour trip), which was consider regional geography. Although the analysis of ably shorter than that of big cities. They, how nation-wide hot spring settlements by KIUcHI ever, also indicated that weekday, weekend, and (1940) went far beyond a monograph of a small overnight recreational zones do not necessarily region, no related studies followed it. from simple concentric zones because of the Recreational studies have been increasing both heterogeneous distribution