Host: The Association of Japanese Geographers
Name : Annual Meeting of the Association of Japanese Geographers, Autumn 2024
Date : September 14, 2024 - September 21, 2024
The modern postal system in Japan was established in 1872. Modern postal service is characterized by a combination of "(1) low, uniform nationwide rates under the exclusive control of the government, (2) a postal collection and delivery network throughout the country, (3) prepayment of fees using stamps and other means, and (4) equality of use. The involvement of the government in (1) was used as a convenience to incorporate the postal system into the sphere of control of imperial Japan.
In the modern postal system, local Meibo families opened their residences to the public as post offices, and the "Postal Route Chart" describes the connection between their residences and post offices. However, the analysis of the "Postal Route Chart" can only be used to reconstruct the original map of the Japanese postal system.
This report focuses on postal routes connecting Japan and foreign countries, and attempts to reconstruct them.
