CASE STUDY: Is Japan overcrowded ?

Lesson Plan:

• High density and overpopulation– Definitions – A few figures (=chiffres)– The issue of scale: the example of France

• The case of southern Japan– Tokyo: a megalopolis– Kyoto: dealing with population high density– Himeji: a typical Japanese city– Is there a Japanese countryside?

High density or overpopulation?

• Definitions:

-High Density: a great number of inhabitants living on an area of one square

kilometre.

- Overpopulation: the area’s resources are not enough to satisfy the needs of the

population.

• A few figures:

-Japan: 341 inhabitants / square km - France = 115 / km2 - the USA = 30/km2 - Reunion island = 317/km2

• The issue of scale (échelle):

Before deciding if an area has a low or high density, consider the scale of the area under study.--> National scale: France has an average density of population--> Regional scale: Reunion has a very high density of population

--> Local scale: St Denis has a very high density, but La Plaine des Cafres has a very low one.

The case of Southern JAPAN

• Tokyo: a megalopolis

– > slide 1 Sunday afternoon in Tokyo– > slide 2 Three hours later

– Question: What are the main problems of big cities like Tokyo?

Tokyo: pelican crossing

Asakusa MatsuriThree hours later

• Kyoto: Even if smaller than Tokyo, it has the same space issue.

– >Slide 1 A bicycle park in the city centre

– >Slide 2 A pedestrian crossing close to the train station

– Question: What solutions has Kyoto found to solve the typical problems of big cities?

Bike park Kyoto

Pedestrian crossing Kyoto

• Himeji: a typical Japanese city

– >Observe the slide and say what the typical features of a Japanese city are.

Himeji from the castle

Is there a Japanese countryside?

Slide: picture of fields in the Kansei (the region around Osaka and Kyoto, in the south of Honshû, the biggest island in Japan)

Question: describe the picture. Would you define this area as a countryside? Why?

Kansei countryside

In a nutshell …

• YOUR OBJECTIVE IS TO DECIDE WHETHER (=IF) JAPAN IS OVERPOPULATED OR

HAS A HIGH DENSITY:

– To do so, have a look at your definitions and don’t forget the issue of scale

– Work in pairs to see if your classmate has information you don’t have.

– Even if you are sure to have the good answer, try to find a reason why the other answer could be good too.

– DON’T FORGET TO SPEAK ENGLISH!!!!