Chapter 31
Japan
Population Density in Japan: Life in
a Crowded Country
• Where are some of the most crowded places
in the city?
• Tokyo is one of the most crowded Urban
centers
• The Population Density is high with 880
persons per square mile.
• The US is 83
The Geographic Setting
• Japan is an Archipelago (group/chain of
islands)
• Has 4 large islands & about 3900 smaller ones
• Japan is about the size of Montana
• Temperate Climate – warm humid summers &
relatively mild winters
• Lots of rainfall makes Japan a good place to
grow rice
Geographic Setting Continued
• Millions of years ago Tectonic Plates collided
and formed mountains and volcanoes
• Volcanoes are still active
• Mount Fuji is the highest and towers over
Tokyo
• Earthquakes happen often
• Japan is also subjected to Tsunamis (whole
villages can be destroyed)
Geographic Setting Continued
• 1/8 of the land is usable for farming
• A large majority of the 127 million people
live on the 4 islands of Hokkaido, Honshu,
Shikoku, & Kyushu but its population is not
distributed equally
• 80% live on limited flat on coast or river
valley
Geographic Setting Continued
• 2 ways to measure land density
1.Arithmetic Population Density – divide total #
of people by total land area
2.Physiologic Population Density – divide # of
people by amount of arable land
• Japans PPD is 7,219 persons per square mile
• The US is 433
31.3 How Population Density
Affects Transportation
• What happens when a large number of people
try to get to work at the same time?
• Commute time in Tokyo is on average of 1 ½
hour per day
• The Japanese have created a great Public
Transit System
A.Underground subways take commuter from
one part of city to another
B.Passenger trains rush travelers from town to
town
31.3 Continued
• These trains are often on time to the minute
• Pushers – have the job of pushing people on
the train (see pg. 446)
• They have created “Bullet Trains” called
Shinkansen
• Can reach speeds of 180 MPH
• Despite great public transit, most Japanese
own their own cars and like to drive them
31.3 Continued
• Cars create congestion & problems with
parking
• In Tokyo you are not allowed to own a car
unless you can prove you have a place to park
it
• High-rise parking is popular which is operated
by stacking cars on top of each other with the
use of an elevator
31.4 How Population Density
Affects Housing
• Housing is expensive because flat land to build
on is scarce
• Most Japanese live in Apartments that are no
larger than a typical family room in America
• Historically the Japanese lived in extended
families (G. Parents, Parents, Children)
• Now most live in Nuclear Families (No G.
Parents)
31.4 Continued
• Japanese use rooms for more than 1 purpose
(ex. Futons)
• Most appliances are small
• After death most people are cremated to save
space
31.5 How Population Density Affects Land Use
• Building up and down - any challenges?
• New earthquake resistant construction techniques
– have opened opportunities to build up
• Subterranean shopping centers – built
underground
• Japanese have developed new land – How?
• By filling in wetlands with dirt and rubble
• Can this cause any problems?
• Destroys habitat, unstable for earthquakes
• Terrace farming is helping create more farmable
space
31.6 How population Density
Affects Health
• The average Tokyo resident creates 2-3 lbs. of
trash per day – breeds rats, flies, disease
• Human pollution, emissions from factories,
sewage & waste water, acid rain
• Japanese have improved their pollution
problems by restricting emissions and prohibit
putting toxins in the water
• How is Japans life expectancy so high?
31.6 Continued
• People who are sick wear face masks
• Japan has excelled at making Japan a better
place to live but is having trouble figuring out
the problem with garbage
• Tokyo can only survive by recycling
31.7 Beginning to think Globally
• India has more farmable land but is as densely
populated as Japan
• India also has more natural resources
• Why does Japanese people have a higher life
expectancy?
• See Pg. 452-453 to discuss