Abstract
On the western shore of Lake Biwa we have a long, narrow strip of land stretching approximately from south to north. On the east it is cut off by the lake itself, which has sacrificed whatever economic function it may have to become a tourist resort, and on the west it is separated from Kyoto Basin by the Hira Mountains. Its topography is rather monotonous if we except a delta built by the River Ado and the diluvial uplands called Aiba-no and Taizanji-no; its climate belongs to the so-called Japan Sea type, more distinctively so toward its northern part. An old road called Nishi-omi-ji with bus transportaion and a paralleling railway (the Kojaku Railway) go through this strip of land, and at its southern end the city of Otsu is located; it is indeed monotonous from the human geographical viewpoint. It is a farming area, and this is a study of the structure of agriculture in this area, specifically in terms of side-work farming and classification of its villages.
The Thünen Kreis structure is found in the southern part of this area, although, in view of the weakness of the economic power of Otsu, it is not very remarkable. Agriculture is chiefly centered in the paddy-fields along the River Ado, the horticultural district around Otsu, and the woodlands in the western mountains. Farming villages are classified in Fig. 7.
